Delhi Court Seeks CBI Response in Rabri Devi Case Transfer Request
A Delhi court has taken significant action in the ongoing IRCTC hotel scam case involving former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi. On Wednesday, the court formally requested a response from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) regarding Devi's petition seeking to transfer her case to a different judge.
Principal and Sessions Judge Dinesh Bhatt presided over the hearing and issued the notice to the federal investigation agency. The court, however, made it clear that it would not halt the ongoing trial proceedings in the CBI case while considering the transfer request.
Rabri Devi's Allegations of Judicial Bias
The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader had initially filed her transfer plea on Monday, expressing serious concerns about receiving fair treatment in the current court. In her application, Devi stated she had reasonable apprehension that fair and impartial justice would not be rendered by Special Judge Vishal Gogne, who is currently handling her cases.
The former Bihar chief minister specifically claimed that the conduct of the Special Judge during proceedings appears unduly inclined towards the prosecution. Her plea detailed that this perceived bias could be observed from multiple instances and orders recorded throughout the case proceedings.
Multiple Cases and Upcoming Hearing
Rabri Devi faces serious legal challenges as she is named as an accused in four separate cases, including the high-profile land-for-jobs scam and the IRCTC hotel scam case. All these cases are currently being heard by Special Judge Vishal Gogne.
In her transfer application, Devi emphasized that there exists a reasonable apprehension of bias and argued that in the interest of justice, her cases should be transferred to another court of competent jurisdiction.
The court has scheduled the next hearing in this matter for December 6, when further proceedings will take place after considering the CBI's response to Devi's transfer plea.
