The Supreme Court on Tuesday held Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Additional Director M Nageswara Rao guilty of contempt of court for transferring the investigating officer who was heading the Muzaffarpur shelter home probe, thereby violating the Court’s orders.
The order was passed by a bench headed by CJI Ranjan Gogoi. Rao was sentenced till the rising of the Court and fined Rs. 1 lakh. S Bhasu Ram, in-charge Director of Prosecution CBI, was also held guilty of contempt and awarded the same punishment.
The Court observed that the transfer orders were passed by Rao though he knew the Supreme Court order had said the investigation team should not be changed.
On February 7 the Supreme Court bench criticised the CBI for transferring its former Joint Director A K Sharma, who was probing Bihar’s shelter home cases, thereby violating the court’s order and directed its then interim chief M Nageswara Rao to personally appear before it on February 12.
Rao had filed an affidavit stating that the transfer order was issued by mistake and offered unconditional apology. On Tuesday, Attorney General K K Venugopal, who appeared for Rao, appealed for leniency saying the mistake was “not wilful”.
However, the CJI asked the AG “why a contemnor was being defended at the Court’s expense”, it was reported by livelaw.in.
The CJI added that Rao’s action was “brazen contempt” and that he deserved no leniency. The CJI also said that “Even if we accept his apology, his career record will remain blemished, as he has admitted of committing contempt”.
