New Delhi:
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director Ranjit Sinha has ordered an inquiry to determine who leaked information about a corruption case involving Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who props up the minority government at the Centre. Mr Sinha, however, didn't deny that the investigating officer had recommended closure of the case.
Earlier this week, CBI sources told NDTV that the six-year-long investigation into whether Mr Yadav and his son Akhilesh had misused public office had concluded. The sources said the CBI director would decide on whether to proceed with corruption charges against the politicians.
Akhilesh, 40, is the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.
Mr Sinha today said that a file on the case has yet to reach him. Agency sources confirmed that officers handling the case have recommended that it be closed because of insufficient evidence of venality by the Yadavs.
Lawyer Vishwanath Pratap, whose petition prompted the Supreme Court to order the CBI inquiry in 2007, has alleged that the government is leaning on the CBI to protect Mr Yadav, whose 22 Lok Sabha MPs are indispensable for the ruling coalition.
The Samajwadi Party does not participate in the government; it provides external support.
The Yadavs, through their chartered accountant, have allegedly furnished substantial proof that for the period under scrutiny, 1993 to 2005, their wealth grew because of loans from relatives that were later converted into gifts.
In December, the Supreme Court ruled that the CBI investigation could not include the assets of Akhilesh's wife, Dimple, because she was not a public official during the period under review. She was elected to the Lok Sabha in a by-election last year.
The CBI sources told NDTV that the exemption granted to her has changed the colours of the case.