Title - HC tells CBI to verify bail bond consignment in Railway scam

Hearing a PIL alleging fake railway court scam at Kurla suburban station, the Bombay High Court today inquired from CBI whether it had verified the inventory of a huge consignment of bail bonds, in keeping with earlier directives.

The bench of Justice P V Hardas and P N Deshmukh asked CBI to inform within two weeks whether it had verified the consignment of 4.11 lakh bail bonds supplied by Central Railway printing press to Railway Protection Force, Mumbai.

The court asked the investigating agency to find out how many bonds were issued and the amount of money collected. Although the fraud was detected in Kurla, CBI has been asked to verify all the RPF posts where such bail bonds had been supplied.

The court was hearing a PIL filed by social activist Samir Zaveri, who brought the scandal to light through his petition.

According to Zaveri, some Railway Police Force personnel at suburban Kurla station pretended to be staff of a non-existing Railway Magistrate Court and collected money for cash bonds from those arrested for trespassing or crossing tracks.

A head constable acted as 'magistrate' and granted 'bail' to the offenders after they paid the bond money. The money was pocketed by the RPF personnel.

In August 2011, the High Court handed over the investigation to CBI following allegations of shoddy probe by the Government Railway Police. The court had pulled up the CBI too on several occasions for tardy probe.

In an affidavit, N M Parab, Inspector of Police, CBI (ACB), said the agency examined the role of 23 RPF officials who were posted at Kurla at the time, and evidence was found against 12, who were later chargesheeted.

Of these, five had been dismissed from service after departmental inquiries, while one had retired, so there was no need for sanction from higher authorities to prosecute them.

For five others, still in service, sanction had been obtained, while it was awaited for another accused.