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Hinduja brothers asked to appear before CBI at 1400 IST

Special Judge Ajit Bharihoke Saturday asked the Hinduja brothers, Gopichand, Srichand and Prakashchand, to present themselves before the Central Bureau of Investigation at 1400 hours IST on Saturday for questioning in connection with the Bofors payoff case.

The ruling came in response to an application by the Hindujas, who were granted conditional bail on Friday, that they be allowed to go abroad.

The judge said that since the CBI had opposed the Hindujas' plea to go abroad, the brothers should appear before the investigative agency.

The Hindujas were not present at the Tis Hazari courts when the ruling was made.

Their lawyer also made a special request that Prakashchand Hinduja be allowed to go to Davos, Switzerland, on January 24 to attend a meeting of the International Economic Forum. The request was turned down.

The questioning by the CBI will continue on Sunday and Monday.

The CBI gave two reasons for not letting them go abroad: one, the agency had asked the brothers on four different occasions to appear before it -- on Jan 12, Jan 26, March 23 and May 12, 2000 -- but they did not respond to the letters; two, the agency had also asked that the brothers be directed to surrender their passports to the court till the investigations are completed.

Opposing the CBI's stand, counsel for the Hindujas, Rajinder Singh said his clients have come on their own volition without even getting the summons, amply making clear their bona fides.

He said they have urgent business work in many parts of the world and that was the reason why they wanted to go out of the country. If they do not attend to those, their business interests would suffer.

The judge, after hearing the arguments of both sides, asked the investigating officer if he could start the investigations on Saturday itself, to which the IO replied in the affirmative. In consultation with the counsel for the petitioners, it was then decided that the three brothers would appear before the CBI at 2 pm and will continue cooperating with the CBI on Sunday and Monday as well.

On Monday afternoon the IO has been asked to report to the court on the progress of the case. In the meantime, the brothers' application to go abroad will remain pending.

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