Mumbai: In the alleged graft case involving deputy registrar of National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) Charan Pratap Singh, the CBI suspects the involvement of other staff members as well.
About The Case
The agency’s probe has revealed that Singh handed over Rs 50,000 to the court staff to influence the NCLT Board Member in a case involving the director of a popular chain of restaurants. The CBI has approached the court for custodial interrogation of Singh and a middleman, Karsan Ahir, who was caught red-handed accepting the bribe amount on behalf of Singh.
Meanwhile, Singh’s lawyer Shalabh Saxena has approached the court for bail, claiming there is no direct evidence against his client. It is further claimed that Singh owns no property in Mumbai, but in fact resides in a shared accommodation in a chawl with a common bathroom and toilet. It has been claimed that he does not have any sanctioning authority or financial decision-making power in the NCLT administrative set-up. Seeking Singh’s custody, the CBI claimed that during the pre-verification conversation recorded on May 15, it was revealed that he was to give a share of the bribe to other staff the next day.
Further investigation revealed that on May 16, Singh paid Rs 50,000 to Pradeep Nagarale, a court officer in court IV, to influence the NCLT Board Member. The CBI claimed that when Singh’s phone was examined, it was found that the conversation between him and Nagarale had been deleted. When CBI examined Nagarale, he claimed that Singh had assured him of his share.
Both the pleas are scheduled for hearing next week. The complainant had moved NCLT to set aside the alleged fraudulent share transfer done by his brothers, a forensic audit of the books of accounts, and to prevent his brother from closing the business. Amidst this, the complainant claimed that Singh’s secretary, Ritika, had stayed at his hotel in Lonavala with her family from April 11-14, and refused to pay Rs 30,000.
The complainant had hence approached Singh. It was alleged that Singh, rather than clearing the matter, got irritated and warned the complainant as to how he could ask for the pending dues when his case was still pending at NCLT. Singh instead offered to help him out in his case.
