INX Media case: CVC nod for prosecution of 4 ex-finance ministry officers

NEW DELHI: The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has found prima facie case for prosecuting four retired and serving bureaucrats, including former NITI Aayog CEO Sindhushree Khullar and ex-MSME secretary Anup K Pujari who served in the department of economic affairs (DEA) under then finance minister P Chidambaram, in an alleged case of corruption involving INX Media. Sources said CVC, based on comments given by DEA and CBI on a DoPT request seeking the vigilance body’s opinion, has okayed grant of sanction for prosecution of the four officers who also include current principal secretary in Himachal Pradesh government Prabodh Saxena and former under-secretary in DEA Rabindra Prasad.
Sources connected with the probe said the CVC go-ahead has cleared the decks for CBI to probe the alleged role of the four retired/serving officials in granting FIPB nod to the FDI proposal of INX media but not approving a 26% “downstream investment” in INX News Pvt Limited as required by the FIPB regulations.
The FIR filed by the CBI on May 15, 2017 alleged irregularities in FIPB clearance to INX Media for receiving overseas funds to the tune of Rs 305 crore in 2007 when P Chidambaram was the finance minister in the UPA government. CBI alleged the concerned officers of FIPB unit of ministry of finance, by virtue of the influence exercised over them by Karti Chidambaram (P Chidambaram’s son and now a sitting Lok Sabha MP) not only ignored the serious illegality on the part of INX Media...but also deliberately embarked on showing undue favour to the INX Group by abusing their official position.
While Khullar had served as additional secretary in DEA between April 2004 and September 2008, Pujari was joint secretary between September 2006 and September 2010. Saxena was director in DEA between April 2008 and July 2010. Rabindra Prasad too served as under secretary during the relevant period.