Rail Board member suspended, one more held in bribery case

The CBI on Saturday arrested one more accused in the Railway bribery scandal involving nephew of Railway minister PK Bansal and a Board member, taking the total number of arrests by the agency to seven.

The CBI on Saturday arrested one more accused in the Railway bribery scandal involving nephew of Railway minister PK Bansal and a Board member, taking the total number of arrests by the agency to seven.

HT Image

Rahul Yadav, one of the middlemen, named in the FIR, was arrested by the agency, CBI sources said.

Earlier in the day, two courier boys, who allegedly delivered Rs 90 lakh cash as bribe to Bansal's nephew for fixing the promotion of a Railway Board member, were arrested by the agency.

So far seven persons, including Bansal's nephew Vijay Singla, Railway Board Member (Staff) Mahesh Kumar, middlemen Sandip Goyal and Manjunath, have been arrested in connection with the case.

Singla, who is a close aide of Bansal and was regularly seen in election campaigning alongside had allegedly demanded Rs 10 crore for getting Kumar posted as member (electrical) which is considered next to Railway Board chairman in hierarchy.

Mahesh Kumar suspended

Mahesh Kumar, Member (Staff)Railway Board who had allegedly paid a bribe of Rs 90 lakh to Singla, was on Saturday night suspended.

Kumar was placed under suspension after the receipt of a report from CBI in the matter.

"Following the receipt of the official report from CBI, the Ministry of Railways places Mahesh Kumar, Member (Staff), under suspension," Additional Director General of Railways, Public Relations, Anil Saxena, said.

Kumar was arrested by CBI after the agency apprehended him while paying the bribe to Bansal's nephew Vijay Singla reportedly for a plum post.

Kumar's suspension came hours after the Railway Ministry issued a statement maintaining that no rules had been flouted in the appointment as Member (Staff) earlier this week.

"No officer senior to Shri Mahesh Kumar fulfilling the norms governing appointment to the post of Member (Staff) has been superseded," the ministry said.

Bansal's own continuance in the Union Cabinet hangs in alance with the Congress Core Group not reaching a conclusion on his future in the ministry. The Group will meet again tomorrow to take a call on the issue.

Bansal has, however, insisted he has no business links with Singla.

"The charge of Member (Staff) will be looked after by Subodh Jain, Member (Engineering) and of General Manager, Western Railway by R C Agarwal, who is General Manager, North Western Railway," Saxena said.