NEW DELHI, May 20:
A special court today extended the CBI custody of MHA official Anand Joshi till May 24 for allegedly issuing FCRA notices arbitrarily to several NGOs for financial gains after the agency said it needed to interrogate him in connection with some files seized during the probe.
Special CBI Judge Anju Bajaj Chandna allowed the agency’s plea in which it was mentioned that seven new files have been recovered during the investigation and the accused is also required to be confronted in relation to certain emails sent to private persons and properties in the name of his wife.
“After considering the submissions, I am of the considered opinion that for the purpose of thorough investigation, the remand be extended till May 24,” the judge said.
The agency’s plea was opposed by Joshi’s counsel who said that CBI has already got enough time.
He said that Joshi had cooperated in the interrogation earlier and five days were enough to investigate the matter.
During the hearing, the accused told the court that he was “mentally depressed” after which the judge ordered his medical examination today.
Joshi, who was arrested from west Delhi on May 15, was produced in court after expiry of CBI custody.
CBI had earlier claimed that the files relating to several NGOs had gone missing from Home Ministry and they were recovered from his house although he was not supposed to take them away.
It had alleged that Joshi had been issuing notices dishonestly to a large number of NGOs/societies registered under the FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act) 2010, which have been receiving significant amount of foreign contributions, in an arbitrary manner. (PTI)
It has said some of these organisations are Care India, Snehalya Charitable Trust, Indian HIV/AIDS Alliance and All India Primary Teachers Federation and alleged that the representatives of some of these organisations were called and Joshi demanded and obtained illegal gratification.
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