Corruption cases: CBI seeks nod to prosecute

The reminders were sent following a directive from the newly appointed CBI director,AP Singh,regarding speedy disposal of cases stuck for want to sanction.

A senior CBI official said among those the CBI wants to prosecute in UP are seven officials of the Social Welfare Department in Allahabad. Four of them are district social welfare officers who served between 2007 and 2009,for embezzlement of Rs 1.22 crore meant to be given as scholarships to students belonging to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. The money was given by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development in 2007-08.

The officials,in connivance with staff of the office of the District Inspector of School and the Allahabad Regional Gramin Bank — a subsidiary of Allahabad Bank — had siphoned off the scholarship amount against fake names of students in 23 non-existent schools,the CBI official said.

The agency had initiated the probe following a tip-off.

One Vijay Kumar Kesarwani,who was part of the racket,was arrested four months ago and is now lodged in jail. The agency is waiting for the prosecution sanction against government officials to file the chargesheet in the case.

The officials whom the CBI wants to prosecute are district social welfare officers Sunil Kumar,Sriniwas Dwivedi,Paritosh Kumar and KS Mishra,and senior clerks SAZ Rizvi,Nankoo Ram Yadav and Ghanshyam Yadav.

While the case for sanction for prosecution of Sunil Kumar is pending with the state Home Department — as he is currently posted as staff officer with the Home Guards Headquarters in Lucknow — the ones against others is pending with the Social Welfare Department.

Asked about the issue,Secretary (Home) Deepak Kumar said,“I have to check if any such report is received here.” Principal Secretary of Social Welfare Balwinder Kumar said he has received the CBI communication and the files had been sent to the Law Department for review. “Sanction will be given soon after the files are received from the Law Department,” he said.

In November,the CBI had got the sanction to prosecute the then branch manager and the cashier of the Gramin bank. It had registered three separate cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act in the matter.

From the Railways,the CBI is waiting for permission to prosecute Basant Kumar Bihair,a former chief personnel officer of Varanasi-based Diesel Locomotive Works and Ravi Kansal,a former senior divisional medical officer of carriage & wagon workshop of Northern Railway at Lucknow,both of whom were arrested while accepting bribes.