Delhi court sentences serving CBI joint director, retired officer to jail in IRS assault case

A Delhi court has sentenced a serving Central Bureau of Investigation joint director and a retired police officer to three months’ imprisonment for assaulting an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer and trespassing into his residence during a raid conducted over two decades ago.

Judicial Magistrate Shashank Nandan Bhatt passed the order against Ramneesh, currently serving as a joint director in the CBI, and retired police officer V. K. Pandey.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 each on the two convicts.

Case dates back to 2000 raid

The case relates to an incident on 19 October 2000 when a CBI team conducted a search and arrest operation at the residence of IRS officer Ashok Kumar Aggarwal in Delhi’s Paschim Vihar area.

Aggarwal alleged that officials forcibly entered his house during the early hours, assaulted him and violated due legal procedure during the operation.

The two officers were convicted under provisions of the erstwhile Indian Penal Code related to voluntarily causing hurt, mischief and criminal trespass.

The court was hearing arguments on sentencing after holding the officers guilty in the matter.

Senior serving officer among convicts

Ramneesh, who was serving as a superintendent of police at the time of the raid, currently holds the rank of joint director in the CBI, making the case particularly significant given the seniority of the officer involved.

The case stems from one of several legal disputes linked to investigations involving Aggarwal during the early 2000s.

The sentencing marks the culmination of a long-running legal battle spanning more than two decades.