New Delhi: Hinduja brothers on October 10 charged the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) with seeking to substantiate all those theories that were floated about the Bofors pay-off case by politicians who went public on the issue.

"There are only theories floated about this case. Now it has become necessary for the CBI to substantiate the theories because of political considerations as they (politicians) have gone to people with the case," Hindujas' counsel Amit Desai told Special Judge Prem Kumar hearing arguments on the point of charge in the Rs 64 crore Bofors pay-off case.

The entire case was built on "conjectures and surmises" drawing on "speculations, gossip and hearsay", Desai said, adding the prosecution has failed to fill gaps in the chain of circumstances presented in the first information report (FIR), as would establish a prima-facie case against the accused Hinduja brothers.

The prosecution case "titillates suspicion", but takes the case no further to prove the charge of conspiracy or violation of Prevention of Corruption Act, he contended.

Though the FIR prepared by the investigating agency starts with the government policy banning agents in Defence deals, the case has come to a stage where prosecution now says there was no such policy document, Desai said.

"If the prosecution is suggesting that the evaluation of the guns done by Chief of Army Staff Gen Sunderji on February 17, 1986, is a misconduct, then why did they not name him in the FIR?" the counsel asked.

The entire case was an afterthought without any material, he charged.

PTI