NEW DELHI: An Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) scientist has informed the Delhi High Court that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had closed a corruption case in 2003 relating to purchase of computers worth about Rs.12 crore by replacing the investing officer who had recommended prosecution of senior ICAR officials involved in the deal.

The scientist, Sadachari Singh Tomar, submitted this to Justice S. Ravindra Bhatt of the Court in an affidavit after inspecting file of the case at the investigating agency's headquarters here following a direction by the Central Information Commission (IFC) to the agency to allow him to read the file.

The affidavit said the agency had processed the case file for prosecution of Dr. A.P. Saxena, Project Director, National Agricultural Research Project (NARP), Dr. S.L. Mehta, former Deputy Director-General (Education) and at present Vice-Chancellor of Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology, Udaipur, in Rajasthan and others but all of a sudden the investigating officer was replaced by another who recommended closure of the case saying that sufficient material was not available on record for prosecution.

Mr. Tomar has challenged in the High Court the closure of the case by the investigating agency through a revision petition.

The CBI had registered the case against certain officials of ICAR and computer company HCL-HP Limited in April 2000, accusing them of entering into a criminal conspiracy to purchase computers from the latter worth Rs.12 crore between 1995-96.

In pursuance of the conspiracy, the terms of payment incorporated into the bid document-- 50 per cent against shipping document and 50 per cent against installation and successful commissioning -- were changed to 50 per cent against order/shipping document to extend a huge undue pecuniary advantage to HCL-HP Limited and corresponding financial loss to the Union Government, the CBI charged.

The investigating agency alleged that the payment of Sales Tax amounting to Rs. 27.68 lakh was also released to HCL-HP Limited by ICAR without any supporting document.

However, the CBI filed a closure report in a special court for CBI cases here in the case in 2003 on the ground that "sufficient evidence was not available''.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail