New Delhi: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday sought more time from the Delhi High Court to submit its status report on a plea seeking a probe into alleged morphing of a photo of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and Najma Heptulla in a book published on the country's first Education Minister.
A bench of Justice Vibhu Bakhru granted two weeks time to CBI after its counsel sought "reasonable" time for submitting the report. The court also directed CBI to specifically answer all the queries raised by the petitioner, Azad's grandnephew Firoz Bakht Ahmed who alleged that the morphing was done at the instance of Heptulla when she was heading Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
"CBI shall file a detailed status report in two weeks and it should specifically answer all the queries raised by the petitioner. The matter is posted for next hearing on December 16," the court said. The bench also observed that the petitioner's query was limited to whether the photo was morphed and if any investigation to determine the person responsible for it was carried out.
The controversial photograph showing Azad seating with Heptulla after her graduation was published in ICCR publication titled "Journey of a Legend, on the life of India's first Education Minister". The publication was later withdrawn by ICCR.
The petitioner had alleged that the photograph is morphed as Heptulla had graduated in May, 1958 whereas Azad died on February 22, 1958 and pleaded with the court for a CBI inquiry in the controversy.
Earlier, the court had said one court has already passed the order directing CBI to probe the allegations and bring the same to a logical conclusion as expeditiously as possible. "Why don't you (CBI) put that order in place?" the judge had said. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner, had informed the court that on July 5, 2006 it had directed the probe agency to continue the investigation with respect to the allegations made and bring the same to a logical conclusion.
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