CBI books 10, including former director of NEERI, in corruption cases

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered three separate cases against ten people, including a former director of the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur, on allegations of criminal conspiracy and corruption in tendering and procurement.

The CBI has registered cases based on a complaint received from the Chief Vigilance Officer of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The accused included five public servants namely then Director; then Senior Scientist and Head, Director’s Research Cell; then Principal Scientist, then Senior Principal Scientist, then Senior Fellow of Delhi Zonal Centre and later Senior Scientist, all of CSIR National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur and private firms, based at Navi Mumbai, Thane, Powai-Mumbai, Prabhadevi-Mumbai and a private firm.

Searches were conducted on Wednesday at about 17 locations in the states of Maharashtra, Haryana, Bihar and Delhi. This has so far led to the recovery of incriminating documents, property-related documents, jewellery and other items.

CBI REGISTERS THREE SEPARATE CASES AGAINST TEN ACCUSED INCLUDING THEN DIRECTOR & THEN FOUR SCIENTISTS OF CSIR-NEERI NAGPUR AND FIVE PRIVATE FIRMS ON ALLEGATIONS OF CORRUPTION IN TENDERING AND PROCUREMENT;
SEARCHES BEING CONDUCTED AT 17 LOCATIONS IN FOUR STATES pic.twitter.com/s190ATxpxr

— Central Bureau of Investigation (India) (@CBIHeadquarters) July 10, 2024

The first case has been registered against two public servants and three private firms. The accused public servants in this case are then Director and then Senior Scientist and Head Director’s Research Cell, CSIR-NEERI, Nagpur, while accused private firms include a Navi Mumbai-based private firm, a Thane-based private firm and a Powai-Mumbai-based private firm.

It has been alleged that accused public servants entered a criminal conspiracy with accused private companies allowing cartelization and collusive bidding, splitting of tenders/works, and not obtaining the financial concurrence of competent authority, in lieu of undue advantage. All three accused private companies participated in tenders issued by CSIR-NEERI and said Navi Mumbai-based private firm was awarded work in most of the tenders.

It has been further alleged that one of the Directors of the accused Navi Mumbai-based private firm is the wife of a contractual staff who has been a long-standing associate of said Director, CSIR-NEERI, Nagpur.

The second case has been registered against public servants including the said then Director and a then Principal Scientist, CSIR-NEERI, Nagpur and a private firm based at Prabhadevi-Mumbai on the allegations that the accused public servants in criminal conspiracy with said accused private firm abused their official positions for obtaining undue advantage for the said accused private firm during the period 2018-2019.

It has also been alleged that during the year 2018-19, a joint proposal of CSIR- NEERI and the accused private firm for submission to Thane Municipal Corporation for providing advisory service for the closure of the dumping site at Diva-Khardi at a cost of Rs 19.75 lakhs was approved by the said Director alongwith accused then Principal scientist.

The selection of the accused private firm was allegedly done arbitrarily on a nomination basis, without consultation of the Financial Advisor, CSIR. It has been further alleged that before assuming charge of Director of CSIR-NEERI, the said accused was associated with the accused private firm during the year 2015-16 and was a Member of its Organizing Committee and a Trustee.

The third FIR has been registered against two public servants and two private firms including the aforesaid Navi Mumbai-based private firm and another private firm. The accused public servants include then Scientist Fellow of Delhi Zonal Centre, NEERI and later Senior Scientist, CSIR-NEERI, Nagpur and then Senior Principal Scientist, CSIR-NEERI, Nagpur.

It has been alleged that both the public servants in criminal conspiracy with said accused private companies abused their official position for obtaining undue advantage from these private companies and committed gross irregularities in procurement, fabrication, supply, installation and commissioning of WAYU-II devices.

It has also been alleged that WAYU-II, a patented and proprietary property of NEERI, was exclusively licensed to another accused firm and each time efforts were made to procure WAYU-II devices from the said firm on a single bid basis. Further, the indent was allegedly raised on a single tender basis by inserting a restrictive clause of the exclusive licensee of NEERI’s own technology without ascertaining the validity of license agreement executed with the said accused firm.

It has also been alleged that the license elapsed before the end of the bidding process, and hence the executive licensee clause, which was the basis for a single tender, made the bidding process void ab initio. Moreover, five numbers of WAYU-II devices were allegedly also procured from Navi Mumbai-based accused private firm raising questions as to how could said Navi Mumbai-based private firm manufacture the device, which had been exclusively licensed to another accused firm. D

espite NEERI being the proprietor/patent holder, the act of procuring back a product of its technology on a single tender basis was allegedly in violation of General Financial Rules. (ANI)