CD produced in case against Pratibha's brother

Mumbai, July 17 (UNI) A CD allegedly containing footage to establish a link between the murderers of Jalgaon District Congress Committee (JDCC) president V G Patil and UPA Presidential candidate Pratibha Patil's brother G N Patil was today produced before the Bombay High Court.

Mahesh Jethmalani, counsel for Rajni Patil, widow of of the slain JDCC president, produced the CD before a Division Bench comprising Justices R M S Khandeparkar and S R Sathe. It allegedly contains footage of a meeting of the JDCC, in which two people who had nothing to do with the deliberations were present.

They were Raju Mali, prime accused who eliminated V G Patil and Lokhande, who was alleged to have mediated between the conspirators and the contract killers, the counsel told the court.

Claiming that the CD shows ''association'' between Raju Mali and G N Patil, Mr Jethmalani requested the court to take the CD on its record. However, the court instead asked him to keep it with himself as of now.

The court also pulled up the CBI observing that it has found names of two persons on almost every page of the file presented by the agency, but there was no investigation in that direction.

When Additional Solicitor General B A Desai tried to explain that the investigation was not closed, and the CBI has recorded statements of 43 people in the case, the court cast doubt over its conduct.

The court also expressed displeasure as the CBI investigation officer was not present before the court today on account of his daughter's marriage.

Further hearing on Rajni Patil's plea has been deferred to July 30.

Rajni Patil has moved the court seeking interrogation of Pratibha Patil, her brother G N Patil and another suspect, former MP from Jalgaon Ulhas Patil in the murder case of her husband V G Patil.

V G Patil was murdered on September 21, 2005 in Jalgaon. Two assailants Raju Mali and Raju Sonavane were arrested and chargesheeted in the case but, Mali had died while in jail on April 7 this year.

UNI