NEW DELHI, MARCH 28: The probe into the existence of an alleged bank account of former prime minister V P Singh's son Ajeya Singh in St Kitts Islands was initiated on the basis of information supplied by some unidentified private persons, former finance secretary Gopi K Arora told a Delhi Court on Tuesday.Deposing before Special Judge Ajit Bharihoke as a CBI witness Arora said he had assigned the probe to Enforcement Directorate (ED) following receipt of some telegrams in this regard from some `private' persons which also had the endorsement of the then finance minister S B Chavan."The telegrams were put up before me and I marked it toto the ED Director K L Verma," Arora, who was Union finance secretay from February to December 1989, told the court.The 67-year-old witness told the court that he had also come across certain newspaper reports in this regard.He said he had "cleared" a report prepared by ED regarding the probe into the alleged bank account of Ajeya Singh which was presented before Parliament in October 1989. He, however, said it was unusual to present a report in Parliament regarding an incomplete probe.After completion of Arora's examination by CBI, the court fixed the matter for further examination from July 24 to 28.Former Revenue Secretary N K Sengupta had on Monday told court that he had approved the tour of certain ED officials to St Kitts Islands during the relevant period.Controversial godman Chandraswami and his aide Kailash Nath Aggarwal alias Mamaji are facing charges of criminal conspiracy and forging of certain documents to tarnish the image of V P Singh.The duo had allegedly forged a bank document to show that V P Singh's son Ajeya Singh had opened an account in the First Trust Corporation, a private bank in St Kitts Islands, in 1986 and deposited 21 million dollars there.Arora said that a draft report (of investigation) was prepared by ED and put up before him."After going through the draft report, I made corrections in the said report in my own handwriting and prepared a final report which was put up before Parliament by the Ministry.," he said.The former finance secretary, who was the tenth CBI witness to be examined in the case, identified the relevant files and his signatures thereon.The trial against Chandraswami and Mamaji in this case resumed on Monday after a gap of about three years following December 1999 order of Delhi High court upholding lower court order framing charges agasint the duo and discharging former premier Narasimha Rao and former Union minister K K Tewary.The trial was stayed after CBI challenged the June 1997 order of the trial court discharging Rao and Tewary in the High Court. Chandraswami and Mamaji had also approached the High Court seeking dischgarge.However, the High Court had dismissed both the appeals and cleared the decks for resumption of the trial while ruling that the lower court had rightly framed charges against the Godman and his aide.
