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Onkar Singh in New Delhi
The Union home ministry, which has initiated an inquiry against one of its director-rank officers, Thomas Mathew, for allegedly helping two tehelka.com correspondents meet senior defence officials for their expose of corruption, is likely to give him more time to reply to the show-cause notice served on him.
Joint Secretary Yashwant Raj, who is heading the inquiry, told rediff.com that the ministry had served a show-cause notice on the suspended official on March 23 and given him a week to reply. But in case he does not do so, the time given to him may be extended suo moto.
"This is normal practice in any probe, to serve a show-cause notice first and wait for the reply. In case the reply does not come in time, the officer concerned is given more time," Raj explained.
Asked if the inquiry had unearthed more evidence against Mathew, Raj said it was too early to comment.
He also refused to say anything about the charge that Mathew is being made a scapegoat and is the victim of a witch-hunt in the home ministry, saying he had no such knowledge.
The show-cause notice served on Mathew accuses him of helping the tehelka.com reporters posing as arms dealers by introducing them to senior defence officials involved in the purchase of weapons for the armed forces.
He is also accused of having connections with Leftist parties and with militants from Manipur.
Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation is studying a five-page letter addressed to Director R K Raghavan by R M Tewari, one of the agency's standing counsels.
"We have received the letter and its contents are being scrutinised. After it is studied and the legal implications are examined, a report will be presented to the director, CBI, for further action," a top officer of the agency said.
In his letter dated March 20, Tewari suggested the arrest of former BJP president Bangaru Laxman, former Samata Party president Jaya Jaitly, the prime minister's principal secretary, Brajesh Misra, former defence minister George Fernandes, Officer on Special Duty N K Singh, builder R K Gupta, former Samata Party treasurer R K Jain, H C Pant and other bureaucrats in the defence ministry under the provisions of sections 7, 8, 9, 12 and 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, read with section 120B of the Indian Penal Code.
"A case be registered under the above referred provisions of law immediately and all the accused persons be immediately arrested and interrogated. Searches be carried out at the premises of the above accused persons to collect evidence and the same might be seized also. Any further provisions of law which might come to light during the course of the investigation be also added against the above accused persons," Tewari wrote in the letter, a copy of which was made available to rediff.com on Thursday.
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