The rise and fall of Yadav Singh, chief engineer now in CBI net

Singh joined the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (Noida) as Junior Engineer on March 17, 1980. On April 21, 1995, Singh was promoted as Project Engineer, a post which required an engineering degree but Singh only held a diploma. The government then was a coalition of the SP, BSP, Congress and Janata Dal, with Mulayam Singh Yadav as CM (December 1993 to June 1995).

The promotion had come with a “condition” that he would complete his degree in the next three years. So while serving as Project Engineer, he completed his Bachelor’s in Engineering (Electrical) from Jamia Millia Islamia with first division.

On August 28, 1997, months into BSP chief Mayawati’s tenure as CM (March 1997 to September 1997), he was promoted as Senior Project Engineer. His next promotion – to Chief Maintenance Officer – came on September 20, 2002, during another short tenure of Mayawati (May 2002 to August 2003).

2011-14: Swift rise, then brakes

On May 30, 2011, the Noida Authority created the post of ‘Chief Engineer, Level II’. Four days later, Singh was promoted to this post which had under its ambit maintenance of existing infrastructure — roads, electricity, underground wiring etc. Barely two weeks later, Yadav had more good news. On July 19, 2011, the Authority decided to upgrade the post of Chief Engineer, Level II, to which Singh had been recently promoted, as ‘Engineer-in-Chief, Level II’.

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But in 2012, after the SP came to power, Singh’s fortunes took a hit. The Akhilesh Yadav government ordered an inquiry against Singh for allegedly signing agreement bonds for maintenance works worth Rs 954.38 crore in just eight days in 2011.

Based on the preliminary inquiry report, on June 13, 2012, an FIR was registered against Singh, another engineer Ramendra and two construction companies. Singh was suspended the same day. Later, on the request of one of the construction companies named in the FIR, the case was transferred to the CB-CID on November 3, 2012.

2013-14: SP’s U-turn, IT raids

Then came another dramatic twist to Singh’s career. On November 1, 2013, the SP government reinstated him even as the CB-CID inquiry was pending against him. A month later, on January 3, 2014, the CB-CID filed its closure report, saying it did not find “suitable evidence” to prove the allegations of corruption.

On February 12, 2014, Singh, as Engineer-in-Chief, Level II, was allotted the Horticulture and Public Health Department of the Noida Authority. On November 12, 2014, he was given additional responsibility of two other sought-after departments — he was made General Manager (Projects) of Greater Noida as well as Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority. But this time, the good run didn’t last long.

Days later, on November 27, 2014, the Income Tax Department conducted raids on his wife Kusum Lata’s house in Noida. The team found jewellery worth Rs 78 lakh and seized about 2 kg of “unexplained” gold jewellery worth Rs 53.40 lakh. Ten days later, the SP government suspended Singh and set up a departmental inquiry to probe “the alleged companies with his family members as shareholders and alleged allotments, sale and purchase to such companies”. The state also decided to abolish the specially created post of Engineer-in-Chief, Level II.

2015-now: CBI probe, arrest

Following a PIL filed in the Allahabad High Court, the court ordered a CBI probe against Singh. On February 10, 2015, the SP government formed a one-member judicial commission headed by retired HC judge Amarnath Verma to inquire “compliance of prescribed procedures for his promotions as well as contract of manufacturing and construction provided to various persons or institutions during (Singh’s) tenure”.

On July 30, the CBI registered a case against Singh. On August 5, the government surprisingly moved the Supreme Court against the CBI probe, reasoning that a judicial enquiry was already on. The Supreme Court refused to interfere with the High court order, asked the state why it so bothered about the CBI probe, and said let the aggrieved person could move court/

A September 2015 investigation by The Indian Express showed that the family of SP Rajya Sabha member Ram Gopal Yadav got a sweet deal from Singh via an aide. According to the Registrar of Companies, Ram Gopal Yadav’s son Akshay Yadav took 9,995 shares of a Delhi-registered company from an associate of Singh and a former business partner of the latter’s wife on September 11, 2013, months after the SP government reinstated Singh after his suspension in June 2012.

Besides the ongoing CBI investigation, Singh is also facing a probe by the Enforcement Directorate, which has registered two ECIRs (equivalent to an FIR) under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.