2017 bribery case: Clear your stand on how you want to proceed: CBI special court
During the last hearing, a supplementary charge-sheet was filed by the CBI submitting that the competent authority had declined sanction for prosecution of Tilak Raj Sharma and that further proceedings may be initiated as per law
The special court of CBI has directed the probe agency to clear its stand, as to how it wants to proceed the case against accused the then joint director of Himachal Pradesh industries department Tilak Raj Sharma, accused in 2017 bribery case. Despite CBI claiming proofs against him, HP government has denied prosecution sanction on two occasions.
During the last hearing, a supplementary charge-sheet was filed by the CBI submitting that the competent authority had declined sanction for prosecution of Tilak Raj Sharma and that further proceedings may be initiated as per law.
The court has directed the CBI “to come clear as to how they want to proceed further with their case against the accused persons, and that they cannot simply shift the burden on the court asking it to proceed as per law.”
It has directed the prosecution to clarify its stand on the next date which is January 4, 2024, and to talk about its next course of action against the accused in this case.
Tilak Raj Sharma was joint director of, Himachal Industries Department, Baddi, when he was arrested in a graft case in 2017 along with Baddi businessman Ashok Rana.
In the supplementary chargesheet filed in the case in October, the CBI had informed that the Himachal Government has once again declined to give prosecution sanction against Sharma.
Supplementary chargesheet mentions: “It has been proved that Tilak Raj Sharma demanded a bribe of ₹10 lakhs from complainant Chander Shekhar through co-accused Ashok Rana on May 19, 2017, and May 22, 2017, for getting the work done for claim of subsidy of M/s Medicef pharma and further reiterated the demand of ₹10 lakhs by accused Tilak Raj and Ashok Rana on May 27, 2017, at Chandigarh. On May 29, 2017, accused Tilak Raj at Chandigarh obtained ₹5 lakh through Ashok Rana, co-accused for the said purpose.”
However, the supplementary chargesheet has been filed against Rana. It mentions that during investigation documents related to the case were seized and after the completion of the probe, a letter was sent to the competent authority on August 26, 2022, for the grant of prosecution sanction. However, the competent authority vide letter dated November 17, 2022, again declined to grant sanction for Sharma’s prosecution.