Bofors Case: Supreme Court refuses CBI appeal to reopen the case

The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed CBI's appeal against the Delhi High Court verdict discharging all the accused including Hinduja brothers in ₹64 crore Bofors pay-off case.

A Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said it was not convinced with CBI's grounds on delay in filing appeal against HC verdict discharging Hinduja brothers in Bofors case.

However, The apex court, said that an appeal against the same high court verdict filed by advocate Ajay Agarwal was pending and the CBI could raise all grounds in it.

The Supreme Court further said that the grounds given by CBI to condone over 4,500 days' delay in filing appeal are not justified. “We are not convinced with the grounds furnished by the petitioner in explaining the inordinate delay of 4522 days in filing this SLP (appeal). We notice that in the criminal appeal filed by the complainant (Ajay Agarwal) CBI is a party and will be entitled to raise all pleas at the time of hearing,” the bench said.

On 24 March, 1986, India and Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors had entered into a deal for the supply of 400 units of 155-mm Howitzer guns for the Indian Army. This was a deal worth ₹1,437-crore.

The Delhi high court had quashed all charges against the three Hinduja brothers — Srichand, Gopichand and Prakashchand — and the Bofors company in 2005 and reprimanded the CBI for its handling of the case, saying that it had cost the exchequer about ₹250 crore. This order has come a year after another judge cleared late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.