Author: Abhijit Sathe in Mumbai
Publication: Rediff on Net
Date: February 10, 2004
URL: http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/feb/10stamp1.htm
Abdul Karim Telgi has admitted making
payments to former Maharashtra deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal in
return for favours, the Special Investigation Team has claimed.
The prime accused in the multicrore
stamp paper scam made the admission during the P-300 Brain Mapping tests
performed on him, the SIT said.
"The responses to the words listed
in target 9 (payment to Bhujbal) and target 10 (payment to Krishna Yadav)
showed high level of activation and high semantic processing in both the
trials. This activation strengthens the experimental knowledge of the events,
which he did reveal during pre-test interview and narco test," said the
report of the P-300 test presented to the special court in Pune.
Bhujbal, however, told PTI on Tuesday
neither he nor his family members were involved in the scam and the scientific
tests were not reliable.
The SIT had submitted the P-300
test and the polygraph test reports performed on Telgi in December 2003
to the special MCOCA court at Pune, as supportive evidence to the third
supplementary charge sheet filed earlier this month.
The Forensic Science Laboratory,
Bangalore, performed the tests in December 2003.
"The major findings reported by
the Brain Mapping tests are indicative of the possession of knowledge about
the activities (listed above) by Karim Telgi; brain activation during preparation
processing while evoking primary encoding indicates active participation
of Karim Telgi in all these activities," the report stated.
The report, a copy of which is available
with PTI, said Telgi was subjected to three tests -- Lie Detector, P-300
Brain Mapping and Narcoanalysis. While the first two have evidential value,
the Narcoanalysis test does not have evidential value but is used to support
the evidence.
The Brain Mapping test was performed
on Telgi in two stages. In the first stage, a pre-test interview was done,
which was followed by recording of an EEG to invoke 'Event Related Potential
(ERP) responses', SIT sources told PTI.
The test was conducted using three
types of words. Firstly, 'neutral words', which have no direct relationship
with case were presented to Telgi.
In the second part, 'probe words'
directly related to the case were used to elicit concealed information.
In the third part, 'target words',
which are not in part one and two, but are based on confidential findings,
which the subject does not know, or polygraph findings or possibilities
postulated by the investigating officers were used.
According to FSL authorities, if
the subject has truthfully participated in the act suggested by target
words, it would generate ERP, while there would be no ERP when neutral
words are presented.
"Generation of such ERP responses
associated with probe are suggestive of information in the individual,
which would have been acquired only by direct participation in act or event,"
the report said.
In case of Telgi, the target words
formed to elicit any concealed or encoded information from Telgi were:
* Payment allegedly made to R S
Sharma,
* Sharma's favour in Pune cases,
* Alleged payment of Rs 75 lakh
to Dilip Kamath,
* Alleged payment to Mumbai Police
officers Sridhar Vagal and Pradeep Sawant,
* Connection with S M Mushrif in
Pune,
* Facilities provided in Mumbai
custody by Sharma,
* Threat by Roshan Baig,
* Possessing mobile phone in cell,
* Payment made to Bhujbal; and
* Payment made to Krishna Yadav
Telgi, said SIT sources, showed
signs acknowledging payments to R S Sharma, which he also admitted in the
subsequent Narco test. He also acknowledged Sharma offered favours in Pune
stamp cases, the FSL report has said.
The report said that Telgi has knowledge
of Rs 75 lakhs paid to API Dilip Kamath, and he also admitted to this during
the pre-test interview.
Telgi showed signs of having knowledge
of payments made to Vagal and DCP Pradeep Sawant, although he denied this
in the pre-test interview, the report said.
Telgi supported the words relating
to facilities Sharma provided him during his stay in custody of Mumbai
police, the report said.
