Thaindian News

New Delhi, Feb 4 (ANI): The Crime Bureau of Investigation (CBI) questioned a Supreme Court judge, three Allahabad High Court judges and a Uttarakhand High Court judge regarding the Ghaziabad Provident Fund scam here on Wednesday.
The CBI asked the judges if they had any communication with the prime accused Ashutosh Asthana. The judges however, denied any link with Asthana.
Earlier this year, the CBI had exposed the misuse of provident fund savings of up to twenty-three crore rupees of class III and IV employees of Ghaziabad courts for the personal luxuries of judges.
Asthana, a treasury officer is alleged to misused his authority and used the money frivolously in procuring expensive furniture, crockery, gadgets and vehicles for himself and the involved judges.
During his interrogation, Asthana claimed that thirty-six judges had supported the scam.
He revealed that he had provided about seventy mobile handsets to various members of the judiciary.
According to the CBI sources, about 540 assorted slips, bills, pieces of papers, sketches etc were recovered from a carpenter. These relate to purchase of various raw materials for furniture items during last seven years.
It was also alleged that Asthana picked up forty-three taxi bills of judges and paid it from the provident fund money.
The Supreme Court entrusted the responsibility of the daunting probe on the Crime Bureau of Investigation after the Uttar Pradesh police failed in the task of investigating thirty-six judges. (ANI)