I was asked to close case against Ram Rahim: Ex-CBI officer

The special CBI court shifted from Ambala to Panchkula and the case against Dera chief was also transferred to Panchkula CBI Court.

67-year-old M. Narayanan, who retired in 2009 as joint director of the Central Bureau of Investigation, said he was lucky to be away from Delhi when the Dera chief's conviction was finally taking place.

"We went to his (Dera chief) place in Sirsa. Ram Rahim gave me 30 minutes time. He lives in a cave with all modern facilities. We reached there and grilled him for over three hours," said Narayanan, who is now leading a retired life in the northern Kerala district of Kasargode.

"It was in 2007 that this case was handed over to me by two senior officials and I was asked to close it," Narayanan said. The former CBI officer said for him it was just like any other case.