ED officials don8217;t spare their bosses

The two were upset with Gupta for not adequately defending them against charges of torture by one Prabhakar Mehta, who had filed an FIR in the last week of February.

Interestingly, Mehta8217;s complaint to the National Human Rights Commission NHRC and his subsequent FIR in the Cuffe Parade police station is against Ashutosh Kumar, M S Bhardwaj and Seshgopalan, all ED officers. Singh does notseem to have any reason to take up cudgels against the deputy director.

Singh reportedly wanted Gupta 8220;to honour the promises of defence8221; that his predecessor, Prabhat Kumar, had made to the officers. The case against Prabhakar Mehta8217;s brother-in-law, Dinesh Bhuva 8212; which led to Mehta8217;s questioning and his subsequent charges of torture 8212; was detected during Prabhat Kumar8217;s tenure as deputy director in Mumbai.

Gupta immediately wrote to the Director of Enforcement, Inderjit Khanna, on March 13, and a copy of his complaint was also sent to the Cuffe Parade police station, it is reliably learnt. The police have filed an FIR, but no arrests have been made.

Gupta is learnt to have requested the Director to repatriate him to his parent department, Income Tax, from where he came on deputation last summer. Gupta also went on leave on March 13, and today extended his leave by two weeks, it is reliably learnt. Special director P K Ajwani, who is holding additional charge of the deputy director8217;s office, whencontacted, refused to comment. Repeated calls to Khanna8217;s Delhi office for his comments drew a blank.

So desperate were the two officers when they confronted the deputy director that they also threatened dire consequences for his family if he did not help them in the manner they wanted. Gupta reportedly tried to reason with them, but finding that they were in no mood to listen, called in his attendant. It was only then that they apparently left his cabin.

The three officers Mehta had named in his FIR had moved for anticipatory bail on March 16, and The Indian Express has learnt that a private lawyer appeared for them. They have been granted anticipatory bail by the principal judge of the sessions court, A S Aguiar.

Dinesh Bhuva was the main accused in the Rs 269 crore South Indian Bank case detected by the ED, Mumbai, in 1996. He was the kingpin of the group which allegedly remitted Rs 296 crore outside the country against bogus import documents. Mehta was summoned to the ED office at MittalChambers at Nariman Point on December 22, 1997, and asked to sign a statement that he was aware of Bhuva8217;s alleged activities.

Mehta claimed that he refused to sign any statement even after he was allegedly stripped and beaten by the officers. He has said in his FIR that he began pleading with them when he realised that his left ear had started bleeding. Mehta has also said that the officers forced him to sign a statement noting the date as December 22 though it was well past 1.30 am on December 23. It was only when his wife came to the ED8217;s office at 9 am the same day December 23 that he was taken to a doctor, Mehta has said.

Mehta had moved the NHRC after these alleged incidents, and the Commission has issued a show cause notice to the ED officers. The crisis seemed to have precipitated with the FIR filed by Mehta in February this year.