Probe on against 16 transport dept officials: CBI to court

Departmental enquiry has been initiated against 16 Delhi transport officials for failing to take action against some motor driving training schools for allegedly violatingprovisions ofMotor Vehicles Act on its recommendation, the CBI has told a court here.
The CBI made the submission after completing preliminary enquiry on the direction of Delhi High Court which had asked it to probe if there was any nexus between transport officials and motor driving schools for illegal gratification and bribe.
The agency, however, filed a closure report in the case saying there was no substantial evidence on the alleged nexus but inquiry has been initiated against the 16 officials for "derelictionofduty" in granting licences to driving schools.

It said the probe disclosed that 16 officials considered the renewal of applications of 10driving schools that were run by their relatives even after expiry of due date and also overlooked driving instructors' qualificationsandexperience which were belowthe prescribedstandard.
The agency told special CBI judge Vinod Kumar the officials should have taken action against the erring driving schools by suspending or cancelling their licences or imposing penalty but since no such action was taken, it had recommended to the Delhi governmenttoconduct inquiry against the 16 erring officials.
It said that the Delhi government's Transport Department has already initiated action on the recommendation made by CBI.

The court took note of CBI's submission, and accepted the closure report saying there was no sufficient material to take cognisance of the alleged offences of criminal conspiracy and those under provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act.

"I have perusedthedocumentsfiledalongwith closure report.Perusalofthesameshowsthatdepartmental action has been recommended by CBI against some officials forcommission/ omissions in grant/renewal of licenses," the judge noted.
In its closure report, the agency submitted that it was
found thatMotor VehicleAct has deficient penal provisions against driving schools operatinginviolationofthe rules.
"There is no provision in the MotorVehicleActtotake action againstunauthoriseddriving schoolsexceptaliberal fine of Rs 100 againstsuchvehicles," it said.
The high court while directing CBI to probe the nexus, had said that driving collegesseemed to have mushroomed only as a conduit for illegal gratification and bribes.

In the FIR lodged by the CBI, itwasallegedthatsome driving schools werebeingrunbyrelatives of transport officials andlicences givento such schools were based on the inspectionreports,someofwhich werefound incorrect.
Itwasalleged that transport officials were favouring driving schools inconnivancewiththeir relatives working in the department while issuing/renewing licence to them.