Bofors case: Next hearing on April 7 at Delhi's Tis Hazari Court

The Delhi’s Tiz Hazari Court on Saturday fixed April 7 as the next date of hearing in the Bofors case. The hearing, which took place on Saturday, decided that the next hearing would be conducted on April 7.

The hearing started when a BJP leader, who was pursuing the politically-sensitive Rs 64 crore Bofors pay-off case for over a decade, filed an application on Friday before a Delhi court asking it to grant permission to the CBI to re-investigate the case.

Advocate Ajay Agrawal moved the plea before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ashu Garg, and claimed that serious miscarriage of justice will occur if the permission is not granted to the agency in view with a new evidence emerging in the case.

Agarwal had contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Rae Bareli against the then Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

The court, accepting the plea, heard a CBI plea on Saturday seeking a direction to allow it to go into further probe in case any fresh evidence had come up.

The BJP leader had earlier filed an appeal in 2005 as the CBI had failed to move the special leave petition (SLP) within the given 90 days of the high court judgement. Agrawal had asked the CBI to make its stand clear by filing documents on the case.

Also Read: CBI decision to move court on Bofors act of malice, says former law minister Ashwani Kumar

The CBI had on February 1 moved the trial court seeking a direction to allow it to go for further probe into the case, saying the agency had come across fresh material and evidence.

However, Justice R S Sodhi, who was retired by then, had squashed the CBI case in the Bofor’s pay-off scam.

The Bofors case deals with the exchange of arms worth Rs 1,437 crore between the India and the Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors for the supply of 400 155mm howitzer guns for the Indian army on March 24, 1986.

Swedish Radio on April 16, 1987, had claimed that the company had paid bribes to top Indian politicians and defence personnel.

The CBI on January 22, 1990 had registered the FIR for alleged offences of criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery under the IPC and other sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act against Martin Ardbo, the then president of AB Bofors, alleged middleman Win Chadda and the Hinduja brothers.