Thaindian News

Hyderabad, April 23 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Friday sought permission from the special court trying Satyam Computers’ former chairman B. Ramalinga Raju in the Rs.78 billion scam to examine him through video-conferencing.
In its petition, the agency said it wanted to examine Raju through video-conferencing as he was not able to depose before the court due to ill health. It offered to bear all the expenses.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate B.V.L.N. Chakravarti, however, felt that the court needed time to take a view on the matter and adjourned the hearing to April 30.

The 55-year-old founder of Satyam is suffering from hepatitis-C and is undergoing treatment at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) here.

Raju, who had confessed to inflating company profits, is in judicial custody but has not been attending the court since September 2009 citing health reasons.

Meanwhile, NIMS Friday submitted a report to the court on Raju’s health condition. It submitted copies of daily case sheets and medical tests conducted on him since March 31.

In a related development, the court Friday allowed Mahindra Satyam, as the IT firm is known after it was taken over by Tech Mahindra last year, access to the documents seized by CBI.

Mahindra Satyam had requested the court to direct CBI to unlock the financial records at two buildings in the city but the CBI told the court that it would not be able hand over the records to the company.

The court allowed Mahindra Satyam to go through the records in the CBI custody.

Mahindra Satyam had earlier told the court that the financial records were important for it to restate the accounts of Satyam Computer Services by June 30 as directed by the Company Law Board.

It had also contended that the records were also important for taking further steps to defend and proceed in various cases including class action suits pending in the US and other courts abroad.