Court Reprimands CBI for Delaying Return of Seized Money

A court has criticized the CBI for a decade-long delay in returning Rs 50,000 seized from Peres Pezarkar in 2014, despite closing the case in 2015. The court ordered the return of the money along with a penalty and interest, highlighting non-compliance and the impact of demonetization.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has faced a stern reprimand from a court over its prolonged delay in returning Rs 50,000 seized during an investigation back in 2014. The court was critical of the agency's inaction, accusing it of disregarding a 2015 court order to return the funds.

In the case initially connected to allegations of corruption, the CBI confiscated the amount from the home of Peres Pezarkar. Despite the case being closed in November 2015, following insufficient evidence, Pezarkar struggled to retrieve his funds, prompting him to petition the court once again.

The court has now ordered the CBI to remedy this oversight by returning the amount with an additional Rs 5,000 penalty, and noted the implications of demonetization which rendered the original currency invalid, further complicating the case.

(With inputs from agencies.)