Corrupt babus will now face pension cut

Press Trust of India, Mon, Sep 12, 2011, New Delhi:

Mere retirement will not be a ground for dropping proceedings against corrupt government servants who will now face a 10 per cent cut in pension in case of minor penalty. The present major penalty of compulsory retirement with full benefits will be changed hereafter with a cut of 20 per cent in pension.

The new rules will be effective under decisions made in the first report of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on Corruption headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

In a bid to tackle corruption and to fast track cases of public servants accused of graft, the GoM has decided to eliminate certain tiers in consultation process.

The government’s decisions come in the wake of Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption campaign for a Lokpal Bill that would also cover bureaucratic graft.

Until now, a government servant on the verge of retirement can escape proceedings for minor penalty. The GoM has now decided mere superannuation should not be a ground for dropping proceedings for minor penalty.

A cut in pension upto 10 per cent may be imposed in case of minor penalty. This cut will have a ceiling of five years as a life-long reduction in pension would come under the category of major penalty.

The existing major penalty of compulsory retirement with full benefits may be changed to compulsory retirement along with a provision that the competent authority may impose upto 20 per cent cut in pension.

However, there would be no cut in pension in the cases of compulsory retirement of officers being weeded out for non-performance.

The GoM has also decided to make the departments and ministries to primarily use serving officers as Inquiry and Presenting Officers in one of the steps towards speeding up the inquiry proceedings.

In important cases, the officers may request the Central Vigilance Commission to appoint their Commissioner of Direct Inquiries as IO. The GoM is also of the opinion that CVC may also maintain a panel of IOs and POs from among retired officers after screening and empanelment. They could also be engaged on the advice of the CVC.

Taking into account that delays in sanction of prosecution of public servants, the GoM says that it was imperative that sanction should be decided expeditiously and within the prescribed time-frame of 3 months.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/corrupt-babus-will-now-face-pension-cut/845211/0

10 DJB officials under CBI scanner

HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times, New Delhi, September 16, 2011

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday registered cases against 10 officials of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and five of its private contractors over alleged irregularities and illegalities related to the award of its tubewell installation contracts worth Rs. 1.35 crore in the city’s water-deficient parts.

Though the DJB had made the full payment of Rs. 1.35 crore to the five contractors, work at several tubewell installation projects allegedly never started, said a CBI source. The contracts were issued between 2008 and 2010 for installation of tubewells, especially in Delhi’s western parts.

Among the DJB officials mentioned in the FIRs, included the name of executive engineer P K Jain. During searches conducted at the 14 official and residential premises belonging to the accused persons in the city, the CBI seized cash worth Rs. 9.36 lakh, a large amount of jewellery, and documents related to bank lockers from Jain’s residence, said the source.

As part of an alleged conspiracy between the accused officials and the contractors, the DJB was made to make full payment, according to preliminary findings by the agency. “An examination of their work showed that several of the tubewell installation contracts were not executed at all though the contracted firms had already received full payments from the DJB,” said a CBI source.

The source added, “We found that several other such projects were left incomplete but still the accused DJB officials had approved them and sanctioned the payments to the contractors.”

The contractors were also found to have used sub-standard material for their contracts. “Despite the deficiencies in the execution of the contracts, the accused DJB officials had passed the bills of the contractors knowing well that the work was either not executed or sub-standard material had been used,” said the source.

Other DJB officials mentioned in the FIRs include assistant engineer B D Arya and junior engineers Ashok Panwar, Rafiul Islam and Hari Singh. The contractors who have been named in the FIRs include Water Well, RB Sales and OM Decorators.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/10-DJB-officials-under-CBI-scanner/Article1-746660.aspx

Aagaaz.. It's my turn !!

Dear Friends,

I’m a common man!! going through a tough phase .. I see a revolution happening.. I see thousands of people, a new courage, a lot of hope, a spirit to do something!! We have been dying to see this for years !!

Either I am glued to the TV or I want to remain at Ramlila maidan. Not just to be a part of it, but I really want to hold this energy.. I want to convey something.. ask something!!

I want to make sure that this sea of people, remain a part of this change.. so that we understand that there’s a lot to do..Anna has started.. it has to go on..not only at Ramlila maidan but at every level, at different places !! 

I’m in the middle of an individual struggle.. I am questioning as to why we only talk about the taker of the bribe? The act of bribe starts by giving, then why do we leave out ourselves, the giver of bribe !! Why do we make an excuse, that we are forced to give !!  Can we really achieve something if we don’t clean this at the source!!

Fact is, the taker just gets a small part of the benefit compared to what the giver derives!! For a Challan of 500/- when we pay 100/- as bribe, the taker gets 100/- while the giver saves 400/-. 

At GOONJ we have taken a small step!!  150 of us and our families are taking a pledge that come what may, never in our life will we give or take bribe!! It was an emotional moment to see how people decided not to pay Rs. 200/- for getting a pan card and instead decided to go through the long but right path. It’s not about numbers but can we expect even a lakh people to start with and then let the community grow..

Aagaaz.. is a new beginning that’s being made!! (www.aagaaz.org). Not much to read but a simple form to take a pledge. Do write back if there is any technical issue. It’s a beginning…with just the money we all have individually collected amongst ourselves!! 

Do forward it to people.. your friends, relatives, networks… People are taking a printed copy to their offices, societies, schools.. There is no compulsion. if you feel strongly.. Let the resolve strengthen and spread !!

Collective power can do anything.. we are witnessing that… 

We want volunteers to take it up, we want you to write to us and ask for copies, go to Ramlila ground and ask people to pledge!! Let this one act become a commitment.. 

I often wonder how a hungry person can solve the problem of hunger of someone else!! Similarly if I’m corrupt, I need to do more than light a candle against corruption!!

Can the aagaaz (the beginning..) happen from me !!

Anshu Gupta (Ashoka Fellow)

Founder Director
GOONJ..
www.goonj.org
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=603740952

Top I-T official held on charge of taking bribe

Special Correspondent, CHENNAI, August 31, 2011

  

Managing Director of a firm, P. Kishore (wearing spectacles) being produced before the CBI Special Court at Madras High Court on Tuesday. Photo: S.S. Kumar 

 

Rs. 58 lakh in cash and over 2.3 kg of gold seized during CBI searchesOfficials of the Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday arrested a top Income Tax official on charges of taking a Rs. 50-lakh bribe from the managing director of a private educational institution here

Additional Commissioner Andasu Ravindar (45), a 1991-batch Indian Revenue Service officer, allegedly took the money to favour the institution in a tax evasion case, sources in the CBI said.

According to an official in the CBI's Anti-Corruption Branch, Mr. Ravindar on August 4 organised a search/survey on the premises of the Chennai-based Everonn Education Limited, a firm that provides in-school education through V-SAT and Internet. The search revealed that the managing director of the firm, P. Kishore (49), had concealed taxable income to the tune of Rs. 116 crore. After the evasion was unearthed, Mr. Kishore contacted Mr. Ravindar, through a chartered accountant. Following negotiations, it was agreed that Rs. 50 lakh would be paid to Mr. Ravindar to reduce the taxable income by Rs. 60 crore.

On Mr. Ravindar's instructions, the money was handed over in his house (IT officers' quarters, Nungambakkam). At this stage, the CBI received a tip-off and formed a special team to investigate the matter. As Mr. Ravindar was trying to move the cash to an unknown place with the help of his associate, Uttam Chand Bora (42), the team intercepted the two and detained them for interrogation on Monday night.

After preliminary enquiries, the team arrested Mr. Ravindar, Mr. Bora and Mr. Kishore. Simultaneous searches conducted on the premises of Mr. Bora, Mr. Ravindar and others related to the case in Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Bangalore resulted in the seizure of Rs. 58 lakh in cash and more than 2.3 kg of gold

“The searches are still on and the exact quantum of seizure would be known later. We seized about 30 foreign liquor bottles from the official residence of Mr. Ravindar. The seizure was referred to the Chennai police for proceeding against him under the Tamil Nadu Prohibition Act,” the CBI official said.

Investigation revealed that Mr. Ravindar had frequently visited foreign countries in the recent years. “We have reasons to believe that there have been a lot of benami transactions involving the official. A case has been registered against the three accused under various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988,” They were produced in a special court and remanded in judicial custody, the CBI official said.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/article2412857.ece

IAS officer sent to 14-day custody

Press Trust Of India, Ranchi, August 08, 2011

IAS officer Pradeep Kumar surrendered before a special CBI court on Monday in connection with a multi-crore rupees medicine scam. CBI judge NN Singh sent him to 14 days' judicial custody making Kumar the second IAS officer to be remanded so in the case. The same court had yesterday sent former health minister Bhanu Pratap Sahi to 14 days judicial custody after he surrendered in connection with the medicine scam.

The scam allegedly surfaced during his tenure in the Madhu Koda government.

Kumar was the state health secretary when the CBI registered a case against him and Sahi for allegedly allotting tenders to purchase medicine and medical apparatus of Rs. 130 crore to companies chosen by them at overrated costs.

Earlier, retired IAS officer S P Sinha was sent to judicial custody in the same case. He had also been the health secretary, CBI sources said.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/IAS-officer-sent-to-14-day-custody/Article1-730994.aspx

Woman cop awarded two years in jail for graft

Mon Jul 25 2011, New Delhi

A woman inspector with the Delhi Traffic Police has been sentenced to two years in jail for demanding a bribe of Rs 500 from a bus owner.

Alka Singh (56), who was suspended for 10 years for misconduct, was convicted on bribery charges by Special Judge B R Kedia. Besides the two-year imprisonment, she was also told to pay a fine of Rs 14,000. The court, however, suspended her jail term till August 19 to enable her file an appeal against the sentence.

According to the prosecution, Alka had demanded Rs 500 from Dharmender Sharma after she impounded his bus, running between Old Delhi and Badarpur Border, at Tilak Marg on November 19, 2000. Sharma claimed that she had done this, though he had all the necessary documents.

Alka was caught red-handed by anti-corruption officials at her office in Pragati Maidan on November 21, 2000, while she was accepting the bribe.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/woman-cop-awarded-two-years-in-jail-for-graf/821750/

ED unearths Rs 400 cr NGOs scam run by an engineer

Sumit Saxena, Hindustan Times, New Delhi, August 06, 2011

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has unearthed a fake NGOs scam running in excess of Rs 400 crore, orchestrated by a chief engineer from Kanpur, UP. In a unique modus operandi, the engineer used a battery of female associates to operate fictitious bank accounts opened in the name of these NGOs.

The ED officials produced one Arun Kumar Mishra, chief engineer, Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation before the special judge PS Teji on Friday.

The ED alleged "Mishra has a number of companies/firms/NGOs approximately 17 in number involved in money laundering and a number of his female associates."

According to the agency, Mishra recruited female associates to monitor and operate his fake bank accounts spread across different parts of north India. "His female associates have disclosed that he used their name; and forged their signature to open bank accounts," said senior official in ED.

Naveen Kumar Matta, counsel for ED, contended that Mishra has acquired several movable and immovable properties, including two properties in posh area of city — Prithivi Raj Road, New Delhi.

Initially, the CBI arrested Mishra in April 27, 2011 following complaints against him.

One MM Sharma, branch manager at PNB, Dehradun in his deposition said he had fraudulently made scores of false bank entries for Mishra in his branch. The CBI had discovered 66 fictitious accounts opened by Mishra in different branches of the PNB. The special court has remanded Mishra to seven days of police custody.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/ED-unearths-Rs-400-cr-NGOs-scam-run-by-an-engineer/Article1-729945.aspx