CBI to file reply on plea for probe against Vasundhara Raje and her son

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday sought CBI's response on a plea seeking lodging of an FIR and probe by the agency against Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and her son for allegedly obtaining compensation of Rs 1.97 crore by selling a piece of government land to NHAI for widening of a national highway in 2010.

"Let reply be filed and put up for argument on December 7," Justice P S Teji said.

Senior advocate Anand Grover, who appeared for petitioner lawyer Srijana Shrestha, said that in compliance with the earlier order of the bench, he is filing the order of special CBI court in which it has refused to order any probe. The bench then issued notice to CBI and asked it to file its reply to the petition before December 7.

The petitioner has challenged the trial court order of April 18 refusing to order a probe into the allegation against Raje and her son, saying no prior sanction had been obtained as required under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The bench on September 29, had directed the prosecution counsel to place before it the special CBI judge's order as well as the notification by which the court was set up.

The special CBI judge had dismissed the private complaint filed by a Rajasthan-based lawyer, saying there was no sanction order to prosecute them under the PC Act.

The petition has said that Raje and her son had allegedly illegally claimed ownership of a 567 square metre piece of land adjoining the Dholpur Palace in Dholpur town and sold it to National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for Rs 1.97 crore, causing a loss to the state exchequer.