New Delhi, Apr 7 (PTI) The government has accorded sanction to the CBI to prosecute Moyukh Bhaduri, former chairman-cum-managing director of Hindustan Steelworks Construction Limited (HSCL), in a Rs 1-crore bribery case in the construction work of National Sports University in Manipur, officials said on Thursday.
The CBI had filed a charge sheet against Bhaduri and other accused on January 5 under IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act even as further probe into the allegations against him was underway.
The government has now given the go-ahead to prosecute Bhaduri in the case registered two years ago, they said, adding that the special court has been apprised of this development clearing the way for taking cognisance of charges against the official.
Besides Bhaduri, the CBI has named in the charge sheet Zillion Infraprojects Pvt. Ltd MD Anant Saxena, Vijay Nirman Company Pvt Ltd’s Managing Director V Ajay Kumar and Director N Krishna Rao, authorised signatory of NT Enterprises in Imphal T Nimai Singh, and Chalke alias CH Srinivas, a contractual employee of the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
The agency had carried out searches in New Delhi, Kolkata, Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad after registering the FIR on July 2, 2020, they said.
The alleged corruption pertained to work related to the sports university for which tender was floated by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in 2015, they said.
During the tendering process, Chalke had introduced Rao to Bhaduri and Saxena.
After the selection of HSCL as project management consultant for the university work, Bhaduri and Saxena allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 1 crore, besides 5.5 per cent of the total project cost, from Rao and Kumar of Vijay Nirman Co Pvt Ltd for providing an undue favour in the award of construction work for NSU, Imphal.
The CBI filed the FIR after conducting a preliminary enquiry into the matter and had obtained sanction to proceed against Bhaduri from competent authorities.
During the enquiry, it emerged that Chalke played an important role in convincing Rao to give an illegal gratification of Rs 1 crore to Bhaduri for getting the work for National Sports University, the FIR had alleged.
Rao and Kumar allegedly arranged the money from T Nimai Singh of Imphal-based NT Enterprises by involving him in the work, it said.
Singh, on the instructions of Rao, transferred a total of Rs 55 lakh in May 2015 in three tranches — Rs 25 lakh on May 13, Rs 20 lakh on May 25 and Rs 10 lakh on May 27 — into the account of Zillion Infra Projects owned by Saxena, it alleged.
Chalke allegedly demanded his cut of Rs 10 lakh from Saxena and Rao from the bribe amount and received Rs 6 lakh, after negotiations, for facilitation services, the FIR had alleged. PTI ABS SMN
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