Railgate: CBI examining contentious files of railway ministry

NEW DELHI: CBI is closely examining the contentious files of the railway ministry, which had recorded the process of appointment of Mahesh Kumar as member (staff) of the Railway Board and the move to give him additional charge of two other posts for which he allegedly paid Rs 90 lakh as bribe to Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal’s nephew Vijay Singla.

Though the ministry has said that Kumar was appointed member (staff) purely on seniority after Bansal recommended his name to the Appointments Committee of Cabinet, CBI is not taking the statement at face value and is going through the seized files to see if Kumar had been favoured in any way. The files also show that despite his appointment as member (staff), Kumar was still holding on to his earlier position as general manager, Western Railways. The CBI FIR says Kumar was promised by Singla that he would be switched to the post of member (electrical) in another two months if he paid Rs 10 crore.

Kumar, however, desired two additional posts — as GM Western Railways and S&T (Signal & Telecommunication) — in the interim for which Singla had demanded another Rs 2 crore and was receiving the first instalment of Rs 90 lakh when he was arrested.

“We are studying why railway ministry allowed Kumar to continue in his earlier position. Also, a process was on to give him additional charge of S&T though written orders were still to be issued from the railway minister’s office,” a CBI official said, saying the seized files were being studied to identify which railway official had favoured Kumar. CBI plans to interview all six members of the Railway Board to understand how appointments were being carried out, said officers familiar with the investigation.

Members of Bansal’s personal staff were set to be questioned as CBI had found links with Singla, sources said. CBI could press charges under Section 13 (1) (d) of Prevention of Corruption Act for “abuse of official position” against officials or a public servant in the ministry who could be held responsible for helping Singla or Kumar.