Manish Sinha alleged that the director of CBI did not give immediate permission to probe Rakesh Asthana because the NSA Ajit Doval had not permitted the same. (Photo: Reuters)

What started as an internal fight between CBI director Alok Verma and CBI special director Rakesh Asthana, is getting murkier with every passing day. In a plea filed by a DIG rank officer, Manish Prasad Sinha, in the Supreme Court, it has been alleged that National Security Advisor Ajit Doval intervened in the CBI probe against Rakesh Asthana.

Manish Sinha, DIG, CBI who was abruptly transferred on October 24 to Nagpur, was heading the Anti-Corruption Unit III which was probing the Rakesh Asthana case plea. He has made a litany of sensational allegations in his petition before the Supreme Court that sought an urgent hearing for quashing his transfer to Nagpur.

READ| Inside story of Alok Verma vs Rakesh Asthana fight in CBI

Advocate Sunil Fernandes, appearing for Sinha, informed a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi that his client has "got some shocking revelations" in his petition and sought urgent listing and hearing Tuesday along with the plea of CBI Director Alok Verma.

"Nothing shocks us," the bench, also comprising Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph, shot back, as it ruled out urgent hearing and asked Fernandes to be present in the court when it will hear Verma's plea challenging the government's decision to divest him of duties and sending him on leave.

Sinha, whose plea is yet to be accepted by the Supreme Court, alleged that when a team of CBI officers was conducting raids at the residence of Devinder Kumar, a Deputy SP rank officer of CBI, who has been named as co-accused in the bribery case against Rakesh Asthana, Doval asked CBI Director Alok Verma to stop the searches.

"While the search was on, a phone call was received from Director CBI instructing to stop the search. At that time, the applicant herein was sitting in the BS& FC office and asked the Director, to which the Director replied that this instruction has come from NSA Shri Doval," reads the plea.

Sinha also said that during the interrogation of a middleman Manoj Prasad, who was arrested in the bribery case allegedly involving Asthana, the names of Doval and Samant Kumar Goel, Special Director of India’s external intelligence agency (R&AW) cropped up.

He has claimed in his petition that Manoj Prasad had boasted that his father, Dineshwar Prasad, a retired Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officer had close ties with Doval.

His petition states, "As per Manoj Prasad, Shri Dineshwar Prasad, father of Manoj and Somesh, retired as Joint Secretary, RAW and has close acquaintance with the present National Security Advisor Ajit K Doval ("NSA"). This was one of the first things Manoj claimed on being brought to CBI HQ and expressed complete surprise and anger as to how CBI could pick him up, despite his close links with the NSA Doval."



Sinha in his petition, further added that "He started bragging and claimed that his brother Shri Somesh is very close to an officer at Dubai (name withheld) and to Samant Goel, presently Special Secretary, R&AW and he can get us "finished off" / "kicked out. Manoj taunted us that you people have no standing whatsoever and therefore should "stay in limits" and let him free. He claimed that recently his brother Somesh and Samant Goel helped the NSA Ajit Doval on an important personal matter."

However, the veracity of these claims by Manoj Prasad was never confirmed.

Meanwhile, Sinha also alleged that Hyderabad-based businessman Satish Babu Sana, who is the complainant in the case against Asthana, told during interrogation that sometime in the first fortnight of June 2018, a few crores of rupees were paid to Union Minister Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary, at present Minister of State for coal, according to news agency PTI.

"As per Sana, Haribhai had intervened with the senior officers of CBI through the office of Minister of personnel...to whom apparently, the Director CBI reports to.

"The money was paid through one Vipul of Ahmedabad. These facts were disclosed to me by Sana on October 20 in the forenoon," Sinha said in his petition.

(with inputs from PTI)

READ| Rakesh Asthana wanted probe report on Alok Verma. No chance, Supreme Court said

WATCH| CBI vs CBI: CVC submits probe report in SC