Centre holds back sanction to CBI to prosecute Alok Ranjan

NEW DELHI: After agreeing to the Uttar Pradesh’s government’s request to extend chief secretary Alok Ranjan’s tenure by three months, the Centre has held back sanction to the Central Bureau of Investigation to prosecute him in an alleged case of corruption.

The CBI allegation is that Ranjan favoured private companies during his tenure as managing director at the National Agriculture Cooperative Marketing Federation (Nafed). The CBI had also accused his deputy and then additional MD, Homi Rajvansh, an IRS officer, of alleged corruption and sought sanction against both officers last September.

Ranjan did not respond to ET calls and text messages. A CBI spokesperson, however, confirmed that it had sought the Centre’s sanction to prosecute the two officers but has not received permission so far. According to an agency official, a chargesheet has been filed in the alleged Nafed scam.

According to the CBI, three FIRs were registered to probe alleged misuse of funds by Nafed officials since 2004. The agency accused officials, including its MD, of cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy. Ranjan challenged the CBI case and was discharged in two cases by the high court, but there is an FIR in a third case.



The CBI said Ranjan, who joined Nafed on deputation in 2003 and later took over as MD, participated in all meetings and approved all transactions entered into with private companies that later resulted in loss to the exchequer. The ‘irregularities’ came to light in 2006 when a public interest litigation was filed against Nafed alleging bungling of funds in non-agricultural business.

Ranjan, a 1978 batch IAS officer, was to retire on March 31. Considered to be close to chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, he was appointed chief secretary in May 2014, replacing Javed Usmani, after SP’s poor show in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.