Thursday, July 7 2005 13:38 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Taking forward the recent comments of Delhi High Court that the CBI probe into Rs 65 crore Bofors payoff case cost the exchequer a whopping Rs 250 crore, a former Congress MP today filed a PIL in the Supreme Court seeking fixing of accountability for such an "extravagant" probe in which no evidence was found against any one.

Four-time Congress MP from Chail, Allahabad, Lok Sabha constituency, Ram Nihor Rakesh in his writ petition, filed through advocate Anis Suhrawardy, said since 1987 when the Swedish Radio announced alleged payment of commission in the Bofors gun deal, detailed probe by CBI has revealed nothing except that it was unable to prove charges against any one.

Extensively quoting the May 31, 2005 judgement of the High Court quashing the case against the three-Europe based Hinduja brothers, the petitioner clarified that he was not challenging the verdict but wanted the apex Court to lay down guidelines to stop misuse of the premier investigating agency, CBI, by political parties when in power.

The petitioner said the Bofors case saw many ups and downs in the Indian politics leading toppling and forming of governments and the hype created by the media resulted in many countries refraining from dealing with India, whose prestige suffered in the international arena.

"The other governments coming to power by politicisation of the issue in question instead of addressing bare realities, gave wind and fire to the issue, thus glorifying the issue which resulted in hampering with the security of the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi resulting in his untimely and unnatural death."

The petitioner sought a "high-level inquiry" to fix accountability for an expenditure of Rs 250 crores from the public exchequer on investigation "for a subject matter of not more than 64 crores" by CBI.

Seeking detailed guidelines to be laid down by the apex Court in future dealing with the Bofors case, the PIL before the Supreme Court said "the CBI, considered to be the premier investigating agency, continued to dance to the tunes and whims of their existing masters and ultimately at the end of the day was unable to prove or substantiate the charge."

While casting a doubt on CBI's performance also in ISRO Detective case, Purulia arms dropping case and St Kitts case, the petitioner was critical of the political parties creating an issue out of a non-issue like Bofors but not making much of an issue of the demolition of the disputed structure at Ayodhya, Gujarat riots and the controvery on recent remarks on Jinnah, which he felt hit at the root of secularism.

Seeking a directive from the apex Court to the Election Commission banning registration of political parties acting against the basic fabric of democracy, the former Congress MP posed a question whether political parties and their leadership be "permitted to flout the basic norms and ethos of the constitution by raking such frivolous issues and cause a communal divide on the basis of religion caste or sex?"

The petitioner requested the Court to direct EC to prohibit political parties from raising such issues "which run contrary to the scheme of the Constitution.