New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), probing the Rs 30,000 crore Telgi stamp paper scam, has given an undertaking before the Supreme Court that it would not subject the accused to the modern narco-analysis or truth-serum test till further orders on appeals challenging a Bombay High Court order permitting such tests to be conducted on them.

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A Bench comprising Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice B N Srikrishna recorded this undertaking given by Additional Solicitor General R N Trivedi on behalf of CBI during arguments on the appeals filed by scam accused Anil Gote and Manoj Ramesh Mehta.

The High Court on March five had allowed the probe agency to conduct scientific tests like narco-analysis or truth serum test, lie detector test and the brain mapping test on the accused while dismissing the writ petitions filed by six accused including Mehta and Gote.

Appearing for the accused, advocate Santosh Paul strongly objected to accused being subjected to the narco-analysis test, which involved administration of a chemical injection into the body of the accused before subjecting him to other modes of interrogation.

Terming that it amounted to "testimonial compulsion", he said this would violate the fundamental right of the accused under Article 20 of the Constitution, which prohibits forcing an accused to give a statement against him.

The Court issued notice to the respondents and recorded the undertaking given by Trivedi that the CBI would be free to conduct lie detector test and the brain-mapping test on the accused in the interim.