Stamp scam: SC gives CBI 3 months

Five months after the probe into the Rs 30,000 crore stamp paper scam was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Supreme Court on Monday asked the agency to complete the investigations in three months.

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The order came from a Bench comprising Justice S B Sinha and Justice S H Kapadia when the CBI filed a status
report before them.

The voluminous status report details the agency's probe into the 48 stamp scam cases, of which 23 were registered in Maharashtra.

The report also talks about the prima facie evidence collected by the agency relating to the role of high officials and politicians, whose patronage was allegedly enjoyed by the main accused, Abdul Karim Telgi.

The CBI report also mentions details of interrogation of several persons, including former Karnataka minister Roshan Beigh; former Maharashtra deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal's personal secretary; and former
director general (establishments) of the Maharashtra police.

On March 15, the Supreme Court had made it clear that no other high court of the country would entertain any petition pertaining to the 48 cases transferred to the CBI.