Raw Deal

Aircel-Maxis case investigating officer has moved Supreme Court seeking protection. But, R&AW says he was in touch with an alleged ISI agent.

- Namrata Biji Ahuja

RAJESHWAR SINGH, joint director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), who probed the Aircel-Maxis money laundering case related to the 2G spectrum allocation scam, is now fighting a multi-front war. Based on his investigation, the ED had filed a charge sheet against Karti Chidambaram, son of senior Congress leader and former finance minister P. Chidambaram, in the case, on June 13. But, on June 20, Singh filed a contempt petition in the Supreme Court seeking protection from people with vested interests, who were, according to him, trying to derail the case by targeting him. The hearing of the petition is slated to take place on August 13.

Singh, 44, is a provincial police officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre who joined the ED in 2009. In 2012, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to make him permanent in ED since he was investigating the 2G spectrum case. Singh has investigated several high-profile cases like the Commonwealth Games scam, Coalgate scam and money laundering cases against former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda, YSR Congress party leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy and former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala.

Seeking the protection of the court, Singh said: “Various attempts have been made by individuals and corporate entities to derail the investigation of sensitive matters carried out by the petitioner [him].” Repeated petitions and public interest litigations with identical and false facts have been filed from time to time before the Supreme Court and other courts, he said, “with the ulterior objective to demoralise, harass and ensure that the investigation loses its prime focus, and, consequently, is not carried out in the right direction by the petitioner’’.