Govt asked to notify CBI probe into Batcha's death in 3 days

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The Supreme Court today directed the government to issue within three days a notification for handing to the CBI the probe into the mysterious death of Sadiq Batcha, a close aide of former Telecom Minister A Raja.

"In the facts and circumstances of the case, we direct the government to issue notification within three days transferring the investigation of the case to the CBI. Thereafter, the CBI will take over the investigation," said a bench of justices G S Singhvi and A.K. Ganguly.

The court passed the order after taking on record Additional Solicitor General Indira Jaising's statement that Tamil Nadu Government has given its consent for transfer of the probe to the CBI, which has expressed its willingness to take over the case.

She said a notification in this regard will be issued and all the preconditions have been satisfied under the law. 38-year-old Batcha, who had been quizzed by the CBI in connection with the 2G scam, was found dead in mysterious circumstances at his home in South Chennai on March 16 and his wife had claimed that he committed suicide as he was 'unable to cope with the pressure' of the probe.

Batcha was the managing director of Greenhouse Promoters, which the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate suspected to be a front for Raja.

The apex court ordered the CBI probe into Batcha's death on a plea by NGO, Centre for Public Interest litigation (CPIL), on whose petition the court had earlier ordered the CBI to probe the 2G spectrum allocation scam.

Batcha was said to have been found hanging in his house in Vannia Teynampet in South Chennai by his wife and his driver.

The CBI and the ED had conducted searches at his official and residential premises in December. He had been called for questioning four times since then.