CBI might miss deadline to file rail scam chargesheet

Says it hasn't been able to get required sanctions against prosecuting a rail board member

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is not likely to meet its deadline of July 3 for filing the chargesheet in the railways bribe-for-post scam.

That is because the CBI has not been able to get the required sanction for prosecuting a rail board member, in this case Mahesh Kumar, a member (staff), Railway Board, who is also the main accused in the alleged scam. Senior officials said it was difficult for the CBI to file the chargesheet in time.

If the CBI is not able to file the chargesheet in the stipulated time, all the accused in judicial custody would become eligible for bail. “We are trying our best to file the chargesheet,” Ranjit Sinha, director, CBI, told reporters on Monday.

The agency had registered the FIR in the case on May 3. Thereafter, the accused were sent to judicial custody, giving the CBI two months time to file the chargesheet. The investigation agency cannot file the chargesheet unless it has the sanction from the rail ministry to prosecute Kumar, alleged to be the kingpin of the entire scam.

Currently, 10 accused have been arrested in this case including former railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal’s nephew Vijay Singla, his close aides Ajay Garg, Samir Sandhir, Rahul Yadav and Sandeep Goyal and Narayan Rao Manjunath, Managing Director, G G Tronics India. The CBI also arrested Vivek Kumar and Dharmendra Kumar, aides of Singla’s conduit, Yadav.

The agency has alleged Kumar had agreed to obtain Rs two crore as illegal gratification from Manjunath and other businessmen dealing with the Railways. The CBI says Kumar paid this money as bribe to Singla’s associates in exchange of his posting in the electrical department.  The CBI had laid a trap, where they caught a bribe of Rs 90 lakh being exchanged between Singla’s and Kumar’s associates in Chandigarh.