CBI registers case against former SAI chief

The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a case of acquisition of assets dispropotionate to income against former Sports Authority of India Director General D K Mittal, who said he is preparing to approach the court to seek damages from the investigating agency.

The agency filed an FIR in a Delhi court under section 13 (i) (e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act against Mittal for allegedly accumulating assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, and carried out raids at his residence in south Delhi.

However, agency sources said no raid was carried out on any of the SAI offices, as reported by a section of the press.

SAI secretary Amrit Mathur also informed that none of the SAI premises were raided.

CBI sources said some documents were recovered from Mittal's residence and they are being scrutinised by sleuths of anti-corruption branch of the agency.

Mittal however denied the charge.

An IAS officer of the 1964 batch of the UP cadre, Mittal was relieved as SAI director deneral on February 26 following repatriation to his cadre.

When contacted, Mittal said he is consulting his lawyers and would be soon approaching the court for damages from the CBI.

The former SAI director general said the raid was the "handiwork of vested interests within sports organisations who were against my style of functioning".

He said most of the property shown in the FIR does not belong to him or his family members and challenged the CBI to prove in a court.

He claimed that the investments shown in the FIR were also never made by him.

"I do not know what CBI is up to and what it will gain out of such fabrication of the case," he said.

Claiming that the CBI has not given him a copy of the FIR so that he can chalk out his legal course of action, Mittal said: "This also outs the entire credibility of the agency in doubt."

Mittal added that he has been submitting a yearly assessment of his property to the Centre as well as state government.

CBI spokesman S M Khan said the agency sleuths only seized some documents, which are being scrutinised.