CBI in a fix in Kavita Rani murder case

New Delhi, Mar 16 (UNI) After the recent Quattrocchi episode in Argentina, the CBI once again finds itself in a quandary over another issue--the Kavita Rani murder case--in which the DNA reports have confirmed that neither of the two bodies recoverd from a canal was of the Meerut University lecturer.

The CBI's fix emanates from the fact that the case registered under Section 302 of the IPC now stands grounded after the DNA report, confirming that none of the two bodies matched the DNA of Kavita's mother, was received by it a couple of days back.

Two bodies were recovered by the police from the canal, where the accused confessed to have dumped the body after murdering Kavita Rani.

Moreover, it will now be unable to file the chargesheet in the case, which it had recently declared it would be ''doing soon'', following the 'completion' of the first phase of the investigation process.

The central investigation agency finds itself further entangled in 'legalese' as its investigation had already led to the resignation of three ministers of the Mulayam Singh government in Uttar Pradesh.

To complicate matters, even lie detector tests were conducted on two ministers which now stands subject to 'legal action' on grounds of ''coercive interrogation'', say experts.

With this new development, the mystery over the alleged murder of Kavita Rani further deepens as the body of the 'victim' was yet to be recovered. Besides this, with growing voices of the 'accused' having being framed by the CBI due to political reasons would add to its uneasiness.

Meanwhile, the family of the 'missing' lecturer in Meerut has been intimated of the DNA analysis report which confirmed that none of the two bodies, till now puported to be of Kavita Rani Chaudhary, were not her's.

On February 22, Kiran Pal, Minister for Basic Education, who resigned after his name cropped up in the scandal was questioned for nearly five hours at the CBI headquarters here by its Special Crime Branch.

Earlier, on February 13 and 14, polygraph tests were conducted on former Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Minister (MoS) Merajuddin Ahmed by the CBI at its headquarters here, in connection with the alleged murder of Kavita Rani.

Merajuddin, who belongs to the Rashtriya Lok Dal, had resigned after his name popped up in the scandal.

Another minister -- Babu Lal, Minister for Food Processing -- also had to resign after the case threw up his name.

The disappearance of the 29-year-old temporary lecturer at the Chaudhary Charan Singh University-Meerut, Kavita Rani, who was murdered in October, came to light following the arrest of prime accused Ravindra Pradhan.

Pradhan, who confessed that he along with his accomplice had strangled Kavita following an altercation and dumped the body in a canal in Sanauta in Bulandshahr, was arrested from a television studio in Noida.

In his statement he said it was a case of sleaze and blackmail, involving a former minister, and a fight over sharing of money.

On December 28 last, Harinder, another accused in the case, had surrendered before the police in Bulandshahr while pleading innocence over his involvement in the abduction and murder of the lecturer.

He, however, said he knew prime suspect Ravindra Pradhan for the past seven years.

On December 27, Triloki Singh, 37-year-old associate of prime accused Ravindra Pradhan and headman of Dhanera Kirat village was arrested in Delhi.

His name had figured in several threat letters received by Kavita Rani.

UNI