Now that the CBI has filed its sensational chargesheet against top politicians, the question uppermost in the minds of everyone is whether the investigating agency’s charges will stand in a court of law. While CBI officials see it as a "test case" for the Prevention of Corruption Act, legal experts are of the view that it may be difficult for the CBI to convince the courts in at least some of the cases. Asks Rajinder Sachar, former chief justice of Delhi High Court: "Can a quid pro quo be established? Just payment of money may not be corruption." But despite such doubts being raised, the CBI seems to be pushing ahead with its investigations and is piecing together the finer details of the transactions.
According to information made available to Outlook, the investigating agency has details of secret bank accounts of the hawala dealers, the manner in which the money was actually handed over to the recipients and the way transnational companies used the hawala network to pay off bureaucrats and politicians. Says a top CBI...
