Withdraw LOC against Aakar Patel: CBI Court

New Delhi, April 16 : A CBI Special Court on Saturday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to withdraw the Look Out Circular (LOC) against former Amnesty International India Chief Aakar Patel, issued in connection with the alleged violation of the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act (FCRA). CBI Special Judge Santosh Snehi Mann passed the order on a petition filed by CBI, challenging the verdict given by the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACJM) Pawan Kumar. The ACJM had directed the Investigating Agency to withdraw a Look Out Circular (LOC) issued against Patel, but set aside the direction of ACMM court, which had ordered CBI to give a written apology to Patel. However, ACJM Kumar had directed Patel not to leave the country without the permission of the court. Patel has also filed a contempt petition before the court against the Investigating Officer of CBI for non-compliance of the order of the court because he was stopped again after passing of the order by the AJCM. The authority had informed that LOC has not been withdrawn by CBI. AJCM Kumar had passed an order on February 7, directing the Investigating Agency to withdraw the LOC issued against Patel immediately and sought written apology by CBI to Patel, along with a compliance report to be filed before the court. The Counsel for CBI filed a sanction report granted by the Central Government for prosecuting Patel and submitted that Patel was involved in a number of cases. The Counsel for Patel submitted before the court that he was an honourable person of the society and has been falsely implicated in this case. CBI Special Judge Santosh Snehi Mann directed CBI to withdraw the LOC issued against Patel. It said, “LOC was issued due to wrong interpretation of law and not out of any malice or I will do so myself. It is not a fit case for fixing the accountability of issuance of LOC,” he added. XC RJ