"We’ve 17 cases against Sharma, all this needed homework"

Recently, Kanth was responsible for registering a case under the Official Secrets Act against an executive of the powerful industrial house Reliance Industries. Significantly, the OfficialSecrets Act case has been taken out of Kanth’s charge as have several of the other cases concerning Sharma. COOMI KAPOOR met up with Kanth in Delhi, late last week. Excerpts from the interview….

It is said that the South Delhi police jumped the gun in its raid on Romesh Sharma, stealing the glory from the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch and the CBI which were tracking Sharma for the past two months and were about to close in.

One doesn’t understand the meaning of phrases like `stealing the glory’. As a policeman, you act whenever there is an opportunity or need to act. In this case, on October 20, Suresh Rao went to get back his helicopter and got beaten up and someone informed the control room and then we got into it.We had several discussions with the Crime Branch and CBI earlier with regard to Sharma’s activities since we were concerned that some of Dawood’s henchmen are operating from South Delhi.

When there was an opportunity, we had to hit Sharma. Talking of jumping the gun isabsurd.

There is some obvious tension between the South Delhi police and the Crime Branch. Your men even refused to hand over the keys of Sharma’s house to the Crime Branch. There was a public scrap in the court between the policemen from the two departments.

There are no tensions. We work in perfect unison. The media has to give stories.

The cases registered against Sharma are mostly property disputes and land grabbing crimes. But there is not too much established on his links with the don Dawood Ibrahim, which made the case so sensational. Sceptics fear that despite the media hype, eventually Sharma could go scot-free.

We have two cases relating to telephone tapping, which we have been doing for quite some time, which establish the gangster links.

Who has done the tapping? You or the Crime Branch?

I won’t distinguish. The Crime Branch is part of me. They are my junior officers and we have been working together.

How can the Delhi Police take credit in the Romesh Sharmacase when complaints against the man had been pending for so many years.

Credit is not the aim, the end result is the aim. Registering 17 cases against Sharma would not have been possible without doing one’s homework.

Why is it that though you registered a case under the Official Secrets Act following the search of the Reliance office, the case has been transferred to the Crime Branch?

The case was registered in New Delhi, which is not under me, because the Reliance office falls under the Parliament Street police station.

But you initiated the raid.

It was a specialised case so it is better handled by the Crime Branch.

If a case has been made under the Official Secrets Act, shouldn’t there be some mention in the FIR as to who is the person in the Government who handed over official documents to a private party?

I can’t say. We didn’t register the case, it was registered in New Delhi. I am not handling the case anymore.

But you were party to the search and held apress conference after the raid.

On the basis of the search conducted, documents were seized and legal opinion consulted before registering a case. I held no press conference — I held a press briefing because the Press came to my office and wanted to know about the searches. Because of the media interest, we had to clarify the position.

Now that it’s out of your hands, some apprehend that the case under the Official Secrets Act will fizzle out.

It is the Government’s prerogative to decide the appropriate authority to deal with the case. (The case has subsequently been handed over to the CBI).

Some call you a publicity seeker, others an intrepid investigator undeterred by political pulls and pressures.

I have nothing to say. If I am criticised, I am not concerned. My job is to find the truth.

Let’s take the hawala case. Some say you had the guts to go ahead despite the big names involved, which was why you were moved out of the CBI. Others point out that the Supreme Courtpassed strictures against all those, including you, who were in charge of the investigations.

I came three years after the case was registered. When I came into the picture and took up the case, I started removing the dust. I started the investigations.

When you were prodded by the court…

No, I acted three to four months before the court came into the picture. In fact the Supreme Court gave strong support to continue the investigation.

While you were in charge, the accused S.K. Jain named the then prime minister, Narasimha Roa, former PM Rajiv Gandhi and Ottavio Quattrocchi in his testimony. Jain’s belated testimony is seen in some quarters as a bid to derail the case, since the names were not in the diary.

I was only supervising the case. I thought it was certainly going along the right lines. The case was unfolding. Most investigations were done after I left since my tenure in the CBI was over.

You have been compared to Kiran Bedi since both of you are fond of publicityand you work outside the system. Though Prayas, the NGO you set up, has done commendable work with children, it is unusual for a government servant to be in charge of such a venture along with handling hisofficial duties.

That is not a very proper question. There is no question of comparison of persons.

As a police officer, I have always worked within the system. I believe that institutions are more important than individuals.