Graft case: Home ministry official’s CBI custody extended

NEW DELHI - A senior home ministry official and two others who were arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a corruption case Thursday were sent to the investigating agency’s custody for 14 days by a city court Saturday.

They were arrested for alleged corruption in the purchase of bulletproof jackets for the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), said the CBI.

Special Judge O.P. Saini ordered the CBI to produce the accused in court May 15.

R.S. Sharma, a director-level officer in the home ministry, R.K. Gupta, director of Anjani Technoplast Limited, and his wife Lavleen Gupta, were arrested on charges of corruption, CBI spokesperson Harsh Bhal told IANS.

The case was registered against Sharma for allegedly accepting a bribe in the purchase of bulletproof jackets. Sharma looks after modernisation and provisioning for the paramilitary forces and allocation of weaponry for all police forces, the CBI said.

“Sharma had developed a nexus with certain private firms supplying security equipment such as armoured panels, bulletproof jackets, helmets and shields and was granting undue favours to them,” Bhal said.

The home ministry floated a tender for procuring 59,000 bulletproof jackets in July 2009. The tender ran into controversies after allegations of manipulation and discriminatory trial of samples supplied by private firms participating in the tender process.

This led to re-evaluation of the tender and re-trial of the sample bulletproof jackets.

“Sharma leaked confidential information about the tender and trial process to a competing firm. He established unauthorised contact with the private firm and had been demanding and accepting illegal gratification in lieu of services and favours shown,” Bhal added.

–Indo Asian News Service