CBI arrests Power Grid top executive, five Tata Projects officials for graft

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Power Grid Corporation of India’s Executive Director Bimlendu Shekhar Jha and five top officials of Tata Projects in an alleged bribery case to favour the private company in contracts and other works.

The accused were arrested after the agency carried out searches at 11 locations on July 6-7. During the raids, the agency recovered Rs 93 lakh from the premises of Jha in Gurugram. The Tata Projects executive who have been arrested were Desh Raj Pathak, Executive Vice-President & Head (Transmission & Distribution); RN Singh, Assistant Vice President and Business Head-Distribution; Nafeej Hussain Khan, RPM; Randheer Kumar Singh and Sandeep Kumar Dubey. 

Jha, who was posted in Itanagar, had been under CBI surveillance after it received input that he was receiving bribes from the executives of Tata Projects and other companies for granting favours. Tata Projects was given the contracts under World Bank-funded North Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project for improving power infrastructure in the region. The company was working in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. 

The agency claimed Jha was acting in pursuance of a criminal conspiracy extending favours to Tata Projects in work, including preparation of inflated bills, early clearing of bills and price variation clause, in return of illegal gratification.

Commenting on the involvement of the company’s employees, a spokesperson of Tata Projects said:  “We adhere to strong norms in all our business transactions and have zero tolerance to any compromise on the same. We would extend our complete support to the relevant authorities.”