SC to take up application to keep CBI Director away from 2G case

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday will take up applications filed by advocate Prashant Bhushan to keep the Central Bureau of Investigation Director Ranjit Sinha away from the 2G spectrum allocation case. Sinha is accused of holding regular meetings with officials of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group to influence the CBI's investigation.

The CBI Director has vehemently denied the allegations.

However, a copy of the visitors' diary of Sinha's residence filed by advocate Bhushan showed 50 instances where Anil Ambani group officials met the CBI Director.

CBI spokesperson Kanchan Prasad said the purported diary carrying several entries has been received by the agency and is being examined.

The agency had on Wednesday denied existence of any such entry register being maintained at the official residence of its Director.

Official sources, however, said that residence of the CBI Director also acts as his camp office where his staff sits and if something important crops up CBI officers visit that camp office.

The issue of entry register was raised by NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), one of the PIL petitioners on whose plea 122 licences for 2G spectrum were cancelled by the apex court.

"Last night I came across very disturbing and explosive material. The entry register of Director's residence," Bhushan, representing the NGO, had said on Wednesday before the Supreme Court.

He also referred to a news report which claimed that top executives of a company indicted in 2G scam had met the CBI Director at his residence in the last 15 months.

"If you can give the copy of the material to us, CBI and Director's counsel, we can take up the matter day after tomorrow," a bench comprising Justices HL Dattu, SA Bobde and AM Sapre said.

The bench had asked CPIL to make its submission by way of affidavit and posted the hearing on Thursday when it will also hear the NGO's application seeking recusal of Sinha from all 2G matters allegedly for trying to protect some influential accused in the scam.

The NGO alleged the "Director has made serious attempts to derail the investigation and prosecution being carried out by the CBI."

(With additional information from PTI)