MUMBAI: Observing that there is no evidence against the accused to prosecute them for the alleged offences, a special court on Monday accepted the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) closure report submitted in a corruption case registered against senior officials of Central Railway’s engineering department in Mumbai for allegedly purchasing non-store items at higher rates.
In 2022 based on source information, the CBI, Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) registered a case against senior divisional electrical engineer Ved Prakash and six others for offences relating to criminal conspiracy, cheating and corruption.
Submitting the closure report, the CBI said that during the investigations it was revealed that no case was made out against the accused for want of strong logical and cogent evidence that he entered into a conspiracy with private suppliers for purchasing the items at 8-15 times higher rates, causing over Rs 22 crore loss to the railways. Unknown private persons have also been named in the case.
In 2022, the CBI alleged that the accused issued tenders for the procurement of various parts needed for the maintenance of local train rakes at the Vidyavihar store depot and Kurla car shed.
They allegedly made ambiguous descriptions of the items for non-stock purchase under a limited tender category so that they could not be procured from the government e-market portal and other suppliers, except those involved in the conspiracy.
It was alleged that CBI found the purchase orders against most of the tenders opened at the Vidyavihar store depot between 2018 and 2020 were awarded to seven firms in small quantities collectively worth Rs 21.3 crore, and the suppliers had provided poor quality materials.
The railway officials had intentionally kept the purchase orders below Rs 2.5 lakh to bring down the competency to senior divisional electrical engineer-level approval and to avoid account vetting, a CBI press release had said then.
In 2022 based on source information, the CBI, Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) registered a case against senior divisional electrical engineer Ved Prakash and six others for offences relating to criminal conspiracy, cheating and corruption.
Submitting the closure report, the CBI said that during the investigations it was revealed that no case was made out against the accused for want of strong logical and cogent evidence that he entered into a conspiracy with private suppliers for purchasing the items at 8-15 times higher rates, causing over Rs 22 crore loss to the railways. Unknown private persons have also been named in the case.
In 2022, the CBI alleged that the accused issued tenders for the procurement of various parts needed for the maintenance of local train rakes at the Vidyavihar store depot and Kurla car shed.
They allegedly made ambiguous descriptions of the items for non-stock purchase under a limited tender category so that they could not be procured from the government e-market portal and other suppliers, except those involved in the conspiracy.
It was alleged that CBI found the purchase orders against most of the tenders opened at the Vidyavihar store depot between 2018 and 2020 were awarded to seven firms in small quantities collectively worth Rs 21.3 crore, and the suppliers had provided poor quality materials.
The railway officials had intentionally kept the purchase orders below Rs 2.5 lakh to bring down the competency to senior divisional electrical engineer-level approval and to avoid account vetting, a CBI press release had said then.