6 chargesheeted in dropsy case

NEW DELHI, Nov 23 (PTI) — Six businessmen and traders, including Delhi-based Kamal Oil Mills owner Kamal Aggarwal, were today chargesheeted by the CBI in cases relating to mustard oil adulteration, which caused over 60 dropsy deaths in the Capital in August and September.

The chargesheet filed in the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Mr R.K. Gauba, besides Kamal Aggarwal, named Dinesh Aggarwal, Vijay Kumar Aggarwal, Sushil Kumar, Pawan Kumar and Mahesh Kumar Magan Lal Shah.

Taking cognisance of the charge sheet, the CMM issued non-bailable arrest warrants against Dinesh Aggarwal and Vijay Kumar Aggarwal, who have reportedly absconded, and production warrants against Shah, now in judicial custody in Himmat Nagar jail in Gujarat.

Kamal Aggarwal, Pawan Kumar and Sushil Kumar, who are in Tihar Jail along with other accused, will be produced in his court on November 30, the next date for hearing.

The accused have been charged with committing offences, including criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, adulteration of food items and causing hurt by means of poisonous substances.

The CBI alleged the accused had entered into a ‘criminal conspiracy’ during May-August this year and Shah procured argemone seeds from various sources at a cheap rate.  

However, the court discharged two other accused — Govind Prasad and Gurdev Raj, for want of sufficient evidence against them and directed that they be released immediately.

It further alleged that Kamal in May-June, 1998, had purchased four tankers, of which two purchased on May 25 contained argemone oil.

The agency alleged that Kamal sold the adulterated oil through brokers and his brothers under various brand names, including ‘Vandev’, ‘Tiranga’ and ‘Laxmi’, to retailers.

The samples collected from Kamal Oil Mills were tested at the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad.

Kamal Aggarwal allegedly used to supply defective oil to the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), which manufactures popular brand 'Dhara' at Noida township near the Capital.

Besides the CBI's investigation into several cases, the Local Health Authority has also filed over 100 complaints relating to mustard oil adulteration following the outbreak of dropsy in the city.

More than 60 businessmen arrested in connection with the adulteration cases, however, were granted "statutory bail" as their samples were sent to the central food laboratories for analysis.