Chennai: The principal special court for CBI cases, Chennai, permitted the CBI to interrogate the central explosive licence official arrested on graft charges by the CBI recently, for three days. When the matter came up for hearing before the court on Wednesday, principal special judge for CBI cases, A. Thiruneelaprasad, permitted the CBI to grill AK Yadav, Joint Chief Controller of Explosive, Petroleum and Explosive Safety Organisation, (EPESO), Chennai and two others in connection with bribery charges.
According to the prosecution, CBI personnel received complaints that Yadav had demanded a bribe of Rs 30,000 from Sakthivel, a businessman, for issuing a licence under the Explosives Act to open a fuel station on his property. Following this, the CBI tracked his activities at his office, Petroleum and Explosive Safety Organisation in Shastri Bhavan, Chennai. A special team followed Yadav to Tiruchy.
They arrested him soon after Sakthivel delivered the cash to him on April 7. A middleman Kumaresan was also arrested.They were produced before the principal special court for CBI cases, Chennai which remanded them to Puzhal prison. CBI personnel also conducted searches at 11 places in Jaipur, Chandigarh and Chennai.
As they were remanded to prison soon after arrest, the CBI sought custody of the trio. The CBI proposes to obtain more information regarding the crime and plans to investigate if Yadav has committed any irregularities in issuing explosive licences in the past.
