Court acquits Tytler, arms dealer in cheating case

A special court on Tuesday acquitted senior Congress leader Jagdish Tytler and arms dealer Abhishek Verma of cheating and corruption charges related to allegations that they forged a letter, purportedly addressed to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, to resolve visa issues for employees of a Chinese telecom company.
Special judge Kaveri Baweja issued separate orders clearing both Tytler and Verma of all charges, though a detailed judgment outlining the court’s reasoning was yet to be released at the time of publication.
Tytler was represented by senior advocate Arunabh Chowdhury and advocate Vaibhav Tomar, while Verma’s counsel was Dinhar Takiar.
The acquittal pertains to a 2012 case in which the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) accused Tytler and Verma of colluding to deceive ZTE Telecom India Private Limited by allegedly inducing its officials to pay ₹50 lakh through a “forged letter”. This letter, purportedly written on the letterhead of then-minister of state for youth affairs and sports Ajay Maken, assured the Chinese telecom firm of resolving its visa problems.
Verma was arrested in August 2012, and was later granted bail in October that year. Tytler was named as a co-accused in 2013, and was later granted bail.
Over the proceedings, the prosecution presented a total of 27 witnesses, concluding its evidence in January 2019, while the defence proceedings were completed by November 2019. Earlier, in 2018, the Supreme Court directed the trial court to conclude the matter within a year, after Tytler appealed against the charges framed by the lower court.
The trial court initially framed charges against Tytler and Verma in December 2015, stating there was sufficient evidence indicating that they sought to solicit illegal gratification from ZTE Telecom by allegedly promising influence over public officials, including the then home minister. CBI in its charge sheet filed in August 2013 said accused Tytler and Verma of cheating, using forged documents and criminal conspiracy.
In October 2017, the Delhi high court rejected a plea by Tytler and Verma seeking to set aside the trial court’s decision to frame charges, and allowed the trial to proceed. In September 2023, the Supreme Court granted CBI an extension of six months to complete the trial after the presiding judge requested additional time.