The Delhi High Court on Friday granted four months to the Central Bureau of Investigation to complete its inquiry into a bribery case involving its former Special Director Rakesh Asthana, reported Bar and Bench.

The agency had sought more time in March after its 10-week extension, granted in January, got over. The CBI said its plea to extend the deadline was made to facilitate a fair and free investigation, reported Bar and Bench.

In January, the court had rejected a plea by Asthana, Deputy Superintendent of Police Devender Kumar and an alleged middleman Manoj Prasad to quash the first information report the CBI had filed in the case.

Asthana and Devendra Kumar, along with middleman Manoj Prasad, are under the CBI lens for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 2 crore in exchange for a clean chit to Hyderabad-based businessman Sathish Babu Sana, who was being investigated in the Moin Qureshi corruption case. Qureshi is accused in multiple graft cases.

Asthana has been accused of receiving kickbacks and extorting money from businessman Sana. Asthana, in turn, accused former CBI Director Alok Verma of trying to falsely implicate him, and levelled corruption charges against him.