New Delhi: 'Woh afsana jise anjam tak lana na ho mumkin, use ek khoobsurat more dekar chhorna hi achha' (It's better to end a story on a good note in case it cannot be brought to a logical end), recited a Delhi judge while drawing the curtain down on two decade-old 'Q' saga.
The famous lines, penned by Sahir Ludhianvi for the song 'Chalo ekbar phirse ajnabi' from the film Gumrah', amply indicated the outcome of the verdict minutes before it was pronounced by Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vinod Yadav.
The recital of the couplet by the CMM, who wrongly attributed it to Majrooh Sultanpuri, however, made the anxious CBI prosecutors' faces lit up.
Lest the court's intention is not lost on those present in the packed courtroom, the CMM added with good measure. "If the logical conclusion of a case is not possible then it is better to leave the issue."
The CMM then read out relevant paragraphs of his 73-page order saying Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi was discharged as the country cannot afford to spend hard-earned money on his extradition which has already cost Rs 250 crore.
"How long we will spend through our nose the hard- earned money of the aam-aadmi" in pursuing the case, the judge said while referring to the amount of over Rs 200 crore already spent in the investigations.
The CMM while passing the order said that the CBI did not go into the merits of the case while advocate Ajay Agrawal opposed CBI's plea on merits.
Regarding the locus standi of Agrawal in this case, the CMM said, he 'doesn't have any locus standi in this case'.
The CMM said that he had also gone into the aspect of larger public interest as raised by Agrawal. Agrawal, however, said that he will appeal against the order of the court. 70-year-old Quattrocchi 'cannot have special privilege because of his closeness to late Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi', he alleged.