NEW DELHI : A lawyer who fought the Rs 64 crore Bofors pay-off case in various courts has moved the Supreme Court seeking an early hearing into his plea challenging the Delhi High Court’s 2005 verdict that quashed all charges, including those against businessmen Hinduja brothers.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had moved the Supreme Court in 2018, challenging the High Court verdict, which surprised all, as it had approached the top court after a gap of 13 years.
After 2018, the apex court has not conducted any fruitful hearing in the case. According to the Supreme Court registry and staff, the Bofors matter would likely come up for hearing in the top court, within a week or after the Holi vacation, after March 30.
The AB Bofors company, popularly known as Bofors, had in 1986 entered into an agreement with the Indian government for supplying 400 units of 155 mm Howitzer guns to the Indian Army. Later, it came to the limelight that the company had paid a bribe of `64 crore to top Indian politicians and defence officers for clinching the deal.
The application, filed by Advocate Ajay Agrawal, said that the apex court had on November 2, 2018, dismissed the CBI plea against the Delhi High Court verdict. It said the probe agency can raise all these grounds in the appeal filed by him against the judgment.
Agrawal said he had filed the petition in 2018 in the top court against the Delhi High Court verdict in 2005 itself.
Indian and Italian businessmen SP Hinduja, Ottavio Quattrocchi and Win Chaddha — all Bofors pay-off accused — have already died.
The CBI had in 1990 registered the FIR for the alleged offences under various Sections, including criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery under the IPC and other sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act against Martin Ardbo, the then president of AB Bofors, Chadda and Hinduja brothers.
The CBI claimed that certain public servants and private persons in India and abroad had allegedly entered into a criminal conspiracy between 1982 and 1987 in pursuance of which the offences of bribery, corruption, cheating and forgery were committed.
It also filed a supplementary charge sheet against the Hinduja brothers on October 9, 2000.