Disproportionate Assets: CBI books NBRC engineer over 97% surge in his assets
The preliminary inquiry into the alleged possession of disproportionate assets by assistant engineer Sanjeev Kumar Choudhary was initiated in January, following a written complaint filed by then NBRC Director Professor Krishanu Ray in September 2024, according to the CBI's FIR.
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The CBI booked Choudhary, who has been serving at the NBRC since March 2009, under Section 13(2), read with Section 13(1), of the Prevention of Corruption Act.The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a First Information Report (FIR) against an assistant engineer at the National Brain Research Centre (NBRC) in Gurgaon’s Manesar, based on a preliminary inquiry in July, suggesting “a more than 97 per cent increase in his assets in two years”.
The preliminary inquiry into the alleged possession of disproportionate assets by assistant engineer Sanjeev Kumar Choudhary was initiated in January, following a written complaint filed by then NBRC Director Professor Krishanu Ray in September 2024, according to the CBI’s FIR.
The CBI booked Choudhary, who has been serving at the NBRC since March 2009, under Section 13(2), read with Section 13(1), of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
During the investigation, the CBI assessed Choudhary’s financial records for 2019 and 2020, suggesting: on January 1, 2019, he had Rs 2.34 lakh in his three bank accounts, which increased to over Rs 4 lakh by December 31, 2020, along with a surge in his total assets worth Rs 62.60 lakh, including the purchase of a house valued at Rs 50 lakh, a Maruti Suzuki Brezza priced at Rs 8.47 lakh, according to the FIR.
The CBI calculated his total income during the given two-year period at Rs 38.85 lakh — Rs 24 lakh in salary and Rs 6.45 lakh family income from other sources — and pegged his expenditure for the same period at Rs 16.52 lakh, including Rs 8.67 lakh kitchen expenses; after deducting his expenditure, the available fund stood at Rs 22.33 lakh, the FIR reads.
According to the CBI’s FIR, the agency determined that Choudhary’s disproportionate assets amounted to Rs 37.92 lakh, after subtracting available funds and the opening bank balance from his total assets as of December 31, 2020, reflecting a 97.59 per cent increase in assets in the given two years.
In a report submitted on July 21, CBI Sub-Inspector Meenakshi Yadav recommended an FIR against Choudhary for “accumulating huge assets to the tune of Rs 37.92 lakh, disproportionate to his known sources of income, and intentionally enriching himself illicitly, constituting an offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act”.
The NBRC is dedicated to advancing research on brain function in both health and disease, as well as cultivating skilled professionals capable of conducting interdisciplinary studies in neuroscience.
In a written response to The Indian Express, Choudhary said: “There has been no such increase in my assets, and any assertion to that effect is baseless, misleading, and devoid of merit.”
“I have been in continuous employment since 1993, and with my present organization since 2003. All my assets, along with the sources thereof, have been duly declared to my organization from time to time in compliance with the extant rules and regulations. All details have been submitted to investigating officials as desired by them since 1993 to 2024”, he added.
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