Vijayarama defends son booked in criminal case

Former CBI Director K Vijayarama Rao today said his businessman son, who has been booked by the agency in a cheating and forgery case, is "totally innocent" and expressed confidence on his coming out clean in court of law. "...My son Srinivas Kalyan is innocent. I believe he is innocent... he's not guilty. We will prove that in court and he will come out clean," Rao told reporters here. K Srinivas Kalyan Rao, Managing Director of a Chennai- based company, Best and Crompton Engineering Projects Ltd, and others were earlier this month booked by CBI for allegedly defaulting on a Rs 124-crore loan from Central Bank of India. Srinivas and others were booked under Indian Penal Code sections relating to criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery, among others. As per the case details, the company had borrowed Rs 304 crore from a consortium of banks comprising Central Bank of India, Andhra Bank and Corporation Bank by way of fund- based and non/fund-based limits. Central Bank of India, which has an exposure of Rs 124 crore, had approached CBI with a complaint of alleged default on the basis of which the case was registered. Terming the case against his son as an "allegation", Vijayarama, a former Minister in United Andhra Pradesh, said the charge has to be proved and established in a court. "Suspicion cannot take place of legal proof. In the interest of defence of my son, we will show that he is totally innocent. And in the process if some irregularity attributed to him (my son) comes to notice of court then the court will pass appropriate orders," he said. Vijayarama said he has some information which points to Srinivas' innocence. "If I make (disclose) it now I will be doing injustice to my son. Innocence has to come out in proper place and proper court." Stating that he has not spoken to any CBI official regarding the matter, Vijayarama confirmed his son's house was searched earlier this week and claimed "they (CBI) found nothing (incriminating)". The retired IPS officer said he is not finding fault with CBI for registering the case which they did based on prima facie information they had. "It (CBI) is a good organisation. I have headed that organisation."