CBI court acquits Chennai Port Trust officer from DA case

CHENNAI: A special court for CBI cases acquitted Rajiv Kohli, working as a Harbour Master in Chennai Port Trust from a disproportionate assets case, saying that the assets were not properly calculated.

Exuding the displeasure for the delay, XIII Additional Judge of a Special Court for CBI Cases, AK MehbubAlikhan said that the court has no hesitation in accepting the blame for the delay and regrets that it has taken 20 years to deliver justice.

"The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had failed to prove the allegations with sufficient evidence that the accused had accumulated assets to the tune of Rs 27 lakh. If the income and assets had been properly calculated without extreme assessment, the case would not have been filed and the accused's 20 years of life would not have been spoiled," the court observed.

However, the court stated that the Harbour Master had earned Rs 26,53,270 (Twenty six lakh and fifty three thousand and two hundred and seventy) as salary in certain years and he also earned rental income from other assets, income from bank investments.

"Thus, the Harbour Master earned Rs 4,73,683 (9.37 percent) more than his income and he had a habit of saving ever since he joined the job and it is as much as every government employee saves," the court pointed out.

The CBI had filed a disproportionate assets case against the Harbour Master Rajiv Kohli alleging that he had earned 71.88 per cent more than his income during a period of 10 years from 1990 to 2000 and in 2004, the chargesheet was filed against him in the Special Court for CBI cases and so far 113 witnesses were examined in connection with the case.