Pratibha in Delhi. (Reuters)

Mumbai, Sept. 10: The high court today gave the CBI four weeks to file a progress report on the probe into the 2005 murder of a Congressman after his widow’s lawyer claimed authorities were shielding the accused, President Pratibha Patil’s brother.

Mahesh Jethmalani, who is representing Rajni Patil, a professor and widow of murdered Jalgaon Congress leader Vishram Patil, said the state was meddling in the probe.

“There were records of telephone calls between the accused Raju Mali — who died in custody — and G.N. Patil (the President’s brother) and other conspirators prior to the murder.

“The local police were doing a very good job, but the state CID is clearly trying to help him (G.N. Patil). There was no reason for the CID to take up the case in the first place,” Jethmalani said.

Rajni had, on June 22, 2007, claimed her husband was murdered by G.N. Patil and accused the President of shielding her brother. She alleged that G.N. Patil, a former president of the Jalgaon district Congress, had hatched the conspiracy to kill her husband.

In her petition, she said the motive was revenge as her husband had complained to the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee that G.N. Patil had not deposited the tsunami relief fund in the MPCC account.

Vishram had trumped G.N. Patil in an election to become district Congress chief in 2005.

Jethmalani said two alleged co-conspirators, Leeladhar Narkhede and Damodar Lokhande, were in touch with Mali but were discharged despite evidence of calls made from Mali’s mobile. He said on September 21, 2005, the day of the murder, Mali had called Narkhede, saying “the job is done”, and asked him to “inform Lokhande”.

Later, on the same day, Jethmalani said, there was a conference call between G.N. Patil and Mali.

Solicitor-general Ghulam Vahanvati said Narkhede and Lokhande were not cooperating with the probe and non-bailable warrants would be procured against them if necessary.

He also said that Raju Sonawane, who was arrested along with Mali, had been subjected to a lie-detector test and Lokhande and Narkhede, too, could be subjected to lie tests.

Vahanvati sought four weeks to file the probe report. The court granted time till October 8.