The controversy surrounding Bofors case accused Ottavio Quattrocchi's detention in Argentina has taken a new twist with the Supreme Court on Tuesday seeking the Centre's response on fresh "revelations" that India has an extradition treaty with that country.
A bench of Justices C K Thakker and P K Balsubramanyan gave the direction after advocate Ajay Agarwal, who has filed the petition seeking Quattrocchi's prosecution, furnished in the court on Tuesday purported documents pertaining to the extradition treaty.
Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam, who appeared on behalf of the CBI, assured the court that the agency would file its response on the claim made by Agarwal.
In his additional application, Agarwal cited certain documents to say that the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1956 laid on the table of Parliament a list of extradition treaties India had entered with various countries including Argentina.
These treaties were originally entered into by the British government on behalf of India, before independence and continue to be in force as they have not been repealed, he claimed.
Nehru had furnished the list in response to a question raised by some MPs on the treaties, the petitioner said.