The CBI has written to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) seeking an extension in the term of Multi Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA), which was tasked with probing the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The term of the MDMA lapsed on May 31, and approval for extension from the MHA is pending, CBI sources said. The MDMA, comprising experts from the CBI and central intelligence agencies, was constituted through a government order on December 2, 1998 as a unit of the CBI in New Delhi with a branch in Chennai. [related-post] The agency was set up for monitoring, coordinating, and wherever necessary, investigating and following up issues arising out of the Memorandum of Action Taken (MoAT) and Final Reports of the Jain Commission of Inquiry relating to the assassination of the former Prime Minister on May 21, 1991. The MDMA is headed by a Joint Director and is part of the CBI’s Special Crimes Division. When contacted, a CBI spokesperson said, “The term of the MDMA ended on May 31. We have written to the Ministry of Home Affairs seeking an extension of the MDMA’s tenure. A response from the Ministry is awaited.” The MDMA has so far submitted over 60 confidential progress reports to the trial court in Chennai. Its main focus has been on the role of Sri Lankan national Kumaran Padmanathan alias KP — an absconding LTTE member — and is investigating his bank details. The MDMA had written to authorities in Sri Lanka in this regard.
