ELECTIONS '98
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ARCHIVES

Uranium it was after all

The controversy over the seizure of what allegedly was uranium by the Central Bureau of Investigation took a new turn today, with the CBI counsel informing the magistrate court in Madras that the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research had confirmed the presence of uranium in the seized material. The IGCAR had had denied it in a report circulated to the press.

There were contradictions in the "final report" the IGCAR made available to the press and the report the CBI received, but the contents of latter could not be revealed in the open court in the interest of the country, the CBI counsel told the magistrate. The counsel also sought an extension of police custody for the two accused, R Arun and Moorthy.

The tenth metropolitan magistrate, R Krishnamurthy, who was shown the report the CBI received, cleared extension of police custody of the two accused till August 3.

The counsel also told the court that the CBI was thinking of sending the samples of seized material to "some other agency" for a detailed test.

The CBI, while producing the two accused in court on July 20, had cited in its remand IGCAR's preliminary report which had indicated emission of gamma radiation having energy corresponding to uranium-235 and uranium-238 and put the approximate estimate of abundance of U-235 indicated at 1.4 to 2.2 per cent.

However, the IGCAR, in its final report circulated to the press on July 24, ruled out the presence of either uranium or thorium and categorically stated that the seized material was nothing but ilumenite, which was freely available in the market.

EARLIER REPORTS:
Material seized by CBI not uranium, say scientists
Six kg uranium seized from duo in Madras

Tell us what you think of this report