The Allahabad High Court has asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to submit a fresh and more detailed account of its inquiry into allegations that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi holds assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
A Division Bench of Justice Brij Raj Singh and Justice Rajesh Singh Chauhan said the CBI’s earlier affidavit failed to clearly set out what progress had been made in the matter.
The proceedings arose from a petition filed by BJP worker S Vignesh Shishir, who has sought an investigation into allegations concerning the assets of Rahul Gandhi and members of his family.
The Court had previously directed the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to examine the complaint and report on the steps taken. However, after reviewing the CBI’s response, the Bench found that it did not adequately address the earlier directions.
The Court said the affidavit did not make the progress of the inquiry sufficiently clear and ordered the CBI to file a fresh response through a senior officer. The agency has been asked to specifically outline the further progress, if any, in its investigation.
The Court, however, found the ED’s response to be in line with the earlier directions. It also made clear that the agency could take further action in accordance with law if its investigation brought to light relevant material supported by documents.
The Bench said that should the ED uncover any illegality or wrongdoing, it would not be prevented from proceeding against those involved, provided the prescribed legal procedure was followed.
The Union government and several other authorities, including the Department of Personnel and Training, the Department of Revenue, the Serious Fraud Investigation Office and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, have been granted four weeks to file detailed responses.
The petition is based on allegations that Rahul Gandhi and members of his family accumulated wealth beyond their known sources of income. At an earlier stage, the High Court had noted that the complaint had been received by both the CBI and the ED and could be examined in accordance with law. The Court had also clarified that it was not expressing any view on the merits of the allegations.
During the latest proceedings, the petitioner also sought directions to block Rahul Gandhi’s passport and asked that the investigating agencies submit weekly updates on the progress of the inquiry.
The Court directed the Deputy Solicitor General to obtain instructions from the authorities on these requests. The applications will be taken up at the next hearing.
The matter has been directed to continue before the same Bench as a part-heard case, subject to orders concerning the Bench’s constitution.
The case will next be heard on August 20.
