New Delhi/Nagpur: A court here on Monday allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to quiz till May 20 a union home ministry official who had gone missing after the agency issued him summons following corruption allegations.
Special CBI Judge Vinod Kumar remanded Anand Joshi, an under secretary in the ministry, to four days’ police custody after he was presented in the court.
The CBI arrested Joshi on Sunday.
The CBI booked Joshi earlier this month on charges of corruption and asked him to appear for questioning. Joshi subsequently went missing.
Home ministry sources earlier said that Joshi, recently posted in the foreigners division, had access to files related to Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) and was under the scanner for several months.
He was reported to the CBI after it was confirmed that he was taking bribes to favour certain NGOs.
Joshi was also reported to be indulging in other illegal activities and arbitrarily issuing notices to a large number of non-governmental organisations and societies registered under the FCRA that had been receiving significant foreign contributions.
Joshi is said to have demanded and obtained illegal gratification from some of these organisations, which was laundered through various immovable assets as well as certain private companies.
The accused official was also accused of being responsible for some files related to Teesta Setalvad’s NGO Sabrang Trust going missing from the ministry a few months back. The files were later traced to the officer and restored.
Joshi along with some unknown people have been booked on charges of criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
The CBI had seized certain incriminating documents, including files pertaining to the MHA and ministry of information and broadcasting, from his residential and office premises.
