Lakhubhai case witness to be grilled in Canada

A Delhi court on Thursday said a commission could be taken to Canada to examine a witness, W E Miller, in the $ 100,000 Lakhubhai Pathak cheating case against former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao and two others.

This is the first time a commission will go abroad in a criminal case handled by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

Partly allowing a CBI application for taking a commission to Canada, Chile and the United States, Additional Sessions Judge Ajit Bharihoke asked the defence counsel to inform the court by August 22 whether the accused wanted to go to Canada to be present during the cross-examination.

While Rao's counsel A M Khanwilkar said his client did not want to go to Canada, the counsel for the other accused, tantrik Chandra Swami and Kailash Nath Aggarwal, said they would take time to decide.

In pursuance of the order, the judge asked the CBI to send a letter to the Canadian authorities through the ministry of external affairs, asking them to set up a court for Miller's examination.

The case relates to a complaint by the late non-resident Indian businessman, Lakhubhai Pathak, alleging that the accused had cheated him by reneging on a promise that they would get him a government contract for supply of paper pulp.

As for examining witnesses in Chile (Kumar Bagchandani) and the United States (Douglas Hanskatt), the judge asked the CBI to issue fresh summons in the absence of a treaty for sending a commission to those countries.

UNI

EARLIER REPORT:
Rao against taking commission abroad in Lakhubhai case