Nephew met railway official in Bansal’s house: CBI

Trouble is mounting for Pawan Kumar Bansal in the cash-for-postings scam as evidence surfaced that his nephew Vijay Singla met with senior railway ministry official Mahesh Kumar at the railway minister’s official residence in Delhi. Rajesh Ahuja reports.

Trouble is mounting for Pawan Kumar Bansal in the cash-for-postings scam as evidence surfaced that his nephew Vijay Singla met with senior railway ministry official Mahesh Kumar at the railway minister’s official residence in Delhi.

The CBI also questioned Bansal’s private secretary Rahul Bhandari, an IAS officer of the Punjab cadre, in the case on Wednesday, the same day that HT reported that Bhandari was under CBI’s scanner.

Singla was arrested by CBI sleuths in Chandigarh on Saturday after accepting a bribe of Rs. 90 lakh on behalf of Kumar for the post of member (electrical) in the railway board. Kumar had also asked for additional charges of general manager (Western Railway) and signal and telecommunication.

The CBI has alleged that the payment of Rs. 90 lakh was first installment of total bribe of Rs. 10 crore. Kumar was member (staff) in the railway board. Kumar and Singla are being interrogated in CBI custody along with three more accused — NR Manjunath, Ajay Garg and Sandeep Goyal.

“Vijay Singla was a frequent visitor to his uncle’s office and official residence in the Capital. Evidence has emerged that Singla met Kumar in the official residence of Pawan Kumar Bansal. We need to check about presence of others in the meeting as well. The railway minister’s questioning is on the cards for this. It may take place by next week,” said a source.

Singla is still very evasive about the authority through whom he was planning to change the post of Kumar from member (staff) to member (electrical).