Railway body wants CVC to review decade old case

Federation of Railway Officers Association (FROA) wants the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to review its advice recommending ‘minor penalty charge-sheet’ against Northeast Frontier Railways general manager RS Virdi and three others in a ten-year-old case involving purchase of automatic fresheners for AC coaches.

Federation of Railway Officers Association (FROA) wants the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) to review its advice recommending ‘minor penalty charge-sheet’ against Northeast Frontier Railways general manager RS Virdi and three others in a ten-year-old case involving purchase of automatic fresheners for AC coaches.

The CVC advised major penalty charge-sheets in the case against DC Sharma (a serving officer), besides two retired officers: S Dhasrathy and PN Garg. “The shock of the CVC’s indictment was so harsh on Garg that he had a stroke and passed away the next day”, Dhasrathy said in his September 21 letter to railways minister Mallikarjun Kharge.

Until the CVC’s latest advice, Virdi was considered the top contender for the post of full-time CRB after Vinay Mittal’s retirement on June 30. Significantly government rules do not permit vigilance action against officers who have been in retirement for more than four years.