CBI asked me to be incognito: Galis aide

HYDERABAD: K Mehfuz Ali Khan, personal assistant to former Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy, told the special CBI court here on Thursday that CBI interrogators had asked him to remain incognito. His counsel made the above revelation while opposing CBI’s plea for inclusion of Khan’s name as Accused No. 7 in the charge sheet  filed in connection with the Obulapuram mining case and issuance of a prisoner transit warrant against him.Khan surrendered in the Bengaluru CBI court on March 2.Khan’s counsel said there there was no provision in the law to add the name of a person as an accused and to seek PT warrant against him after a charge sheet was filed without mentioning his name as an accused."The probe agency had in the past issued a notice to Ali Khan requiring his appearance. But he went incognito at the instance of RM Khan (the investigating officer) when he had appeared before the agency for questioning before the charge sheet was filed,’’ Khan’s counsel said and added that an affidavit to this effect was filed before the CBI court in Bengaluru and sought time to submit the document.The defence counsel said the CBI was free to file a supplementary charge sheet against Ali Khan as references were made in the main charge sheet to his role. The CBI may seek a warrant after filing the supplementary charge sheet to which the petitioner had no objection, he said. Khan did not go absconding. He did not even surrender but shown up himself before the court in Bengaluru, his counsel said.The CBI prosecutor said Ali Khan had exclusive knowledge of illegal mining transactions carried out by the OMC and its directors. He said Ali Khan never appeared before the CBI but was absconding.“It was because of this reason that his father had approached the Human Rights Commission, saying his son was missing. Even a lookout circular was issued against him but Ali Khan surfaced only on March 2 when Janardhan Reddy was produced in the Bengaluru court,’’ he said.“An affidavit filed by an accused cannot be trusted. Besides, charge sheet cannot be filed without questioning the accused having knowledge of the illegal mining transactions. Bringing Ali Khan to Hyderabad is essential for further probe,’’ the CBI prosecutor said.Judge B Nagamaruti Sarma posted the case to April 19 for further hearing.