In a significant ruling, a Delhi court has convicted Ramneesh, currently a joint director in the central bureau of Investigation (CBI) (then deputy superintendent of police) and VK Pandey, a retired assistant commissioner of police (then inspector in CBI), for their role in a controversial pre-dawn raid on the residence of an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer in 2000. The court held that the operation was carried out with malafide intent to undermine a favourable order passed by the central administrative tribunal (CAT).
Delivering the judgement on 18 April 2026, judicial magistrate first class Shashank Nandan Bhatt of Tis Hazari courts found both Ramneesh and VK Pandey guilty under Sections 323, 427, 448 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which relate to voluntarily causing hurt, mischief, criminal trespass and acts done with common intention.
The case arose from a complaint filed by Ashok Kumar Aggarwal, a 1985-batch IRS officer who was serving as deputy director of enforcement in Delhi at the time. Notably, Mr Aggarwal was later discharged in both CBI cases registered against him.
The court concluded that the search and arrest conducted on 19 October 2000 were not part of legitimate official duty, but were instead aimed at frustrating a CAT order dated 28 September 2000. The tribunal had directed a review of Aggarwal’s deemed suspension within four weeks.
Rejecting the defence’s claim of official protection, the court held that the accused had acted in clear abuse of power and were therefore not entitled to safeguards under Section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure or Section 140 of the Delhi Police Act. This finding is consistent with earlier observations of the Delhi High Court in 2016, later upheld by the Supreme Court in March 2023.
The court found that the accused forcibly entered Mr Aggarwal residence by breaking open the main door an act corroborated by their own search records submitted before the High Court. It also held that Mr Aggarwal was physically assaulted, he was dragged from his bedroom, manhandled on the stairs and sustained injuries.
These findings were supported by medical records, eyewitness testimony and admissions made by one of the accused in court filings. The judge noted that the sequence of events pointed to a premeditated plan.
Instead of responding to a communication from the income tax vigilance directorate by the deadline of 18 October 2000, the officials held a meeting the same evening and decided to carry out the raid and arrest the following morning.
Mr Aggarwal had been investigating sensitive cases under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) involving influential individuals. He had also raised concerns about interference in his work through multiple representations to senior government officials between 1998 and 1999.
The complaint against him, which led to the CBI case, was allegedly filed by an individual under investigation in connivance with certain officials. Although Mr Aggarwal cooperated with the investigation and appeared when summoned, he was eventually discharged in both cases—strengthening his claims of victimisation.
According to the complaint, a team of CBI officers arrived at his residence around 5:00am on 19 October 2000. They allegedly assaulted the security guard, forcibly entered the premises, confined family members and took MrAggarwal away after physically assaulting him. He was later produced at a hospital.
The court accepted the explanation for the delay of about a year in filing the complaint, noting that the accused were powerful officials and that threats had been extended to Aggarwal and his family.
In its concluding remarks, the court held that the actions of the accused were deliberate and intended to deny the complainant the benefit of the CAT’s order. It found that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
Both Ramneesh and VK Pandey now stand convicted under the relevant provisions of the IPC, marking a rare instance of senior investigative officials being held criminally liable for abuse of authority in the discharge of their duties.
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