Patna, May 4: The Patna High Court today directed the state government and the Centre to file counter affidavits (reply) within two months on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a CBI probe into the pilferage of crude oil from Kanpur-Barauni-Haldia petrochemicals pipeline in Bihar’s Jamui district.

A division bench comprising Justice S.K. Katriar and Justice Samrendra Pratap Singh directed the Union government and the state government to file their counter affidavits within two months while hearing a PIL filed by one Rajesh Kumar, demanding a CBI probe into the pilferage of crude oil from the petrochemicals pipeline, causing huge loss to the exchequer. The next hearing is after ten weeks.

The PIL alleged that a well-knit racket was involved in pilferage of crude oil from Haldia-Barauni-Kanpur petrochemicals pipeline in Jamui district. An FIR (No.39/10) was lodged with the Jhajha police station in Jamui district on February 5 last year. Two persons, said to be active members of the gang, were also arrested. The police also seized oil tankers filled with crude oil. During investigation, the police came to know that the gang was patronised by an influential politician of the area, a police officer associated with the investigation recalled.

The police officer, under the cover of anonymity, said that on an average two-three tankers of oil were pilfered from the pipeline everyday and subsequently sold on the black market. A full tanker of oil costs about Rs 12 lakh, he said, adding that the racket was thriving in the region for the past several years in the connivance with petrochemical officials and some politicians.

He said that the chargesheet has already been submitted in the court. All the accused persons are absconding after the racket came to light last year,” a police officer posted at the Jhajha police station said. He, refused to divulge whether any property attachment order had been issued by the concerned court. In the PIL, the petitioner claimed that the local police helped one Deepak Kumar to contest the election from Sono panchayat in Jamui district despite the fact that he was named as an accused in the FIR. The clout of the accused can be gauged from the fact that even the divisional commissioner of Munger once visited his house, said the petition.

Senior advocate Y.V. Giri, the petitioner counsel, sought a CBI probe pleading the enormity of the case. “It is beyond the jurisdiction of the state police,” he said, adding that the matter should be referred to the CBI or any central investigating agency so that the main culprits can be brought tobook. Sources said that the racket was going on in the area for the past one decade or so. “It is not that the police or petrochemical officials were not aware of the matter. But they preferred to keep mum for reasons best known to them,” Kumar alleged in the petition.