ICICI fraud case: CBI transfers probe officer

Arun Jaitley

P Chidambaram

Kolkata: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram addresses a press conference at Pradesh Congress office in Kolkata on Saturday, August 25, 2018. (PTI Photo/Swapan Mahapatra) (PTI8_25_2018_000050B)

FILE PHOTO: India's Finance Minister Arun Jaitley attends a news conference sharing details about the recapitalisation of public sector banks in New Delhi, India, January 24, 2018. REUTERS/Saumya Khandelwal/File Photo

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has transferred its officer investigating the ICICI Bank fraud case for allegedly leaking information.

Sudhanshu Dhar Mishra, a Superintendent of Police-rank officer who was part of the Banking and Securities Fraud Cell of the CBI in Delhi, was shifted to the agency’s Economic Offences Branch in Ranchi district of Jharkhand a day after he signed the FIR in the case on January 22.

A “discreet inquiry” against Mishra indicated his role in leaking information related to searches conducted by the investigation agency at various locations in connection with the case, a CBI officer said. Justifying the transfer, the agency official also blamed Mishra for keeping the preliminary enquiry into the case pending without any reasons.

On January 25, Union Minister Arun Jaitley, who is undergoing treatment in the US, cautioned the CBI against “investigative adventurism and megalomania”, two days after the agency filed an FIR against former CEO of ICICI Bank Chanda Kochhar, her husband Deepak, Videocon group MD Venugopal Dhoot and others.

“Sitting thousands of kilometres away, when I read the list of potential targets in the ICICI case, the thought that crossed my mind was again the same — instead of focusing primarily on the target, is a journey to nowhere (or everywhere) being undertaken?” he said in a series of tweets.

Apparently disagreeing with CBI’s action in the case, Jaitley said, “If we include the entire who’s who of the banking industry — with or without evidence — what cause are we serving or actually hurting?”