Faced with lengthening list of Defence deals, CBI tells Govt: specifics, please

While 14 cases had been routed to the agency earlier, 23 more defence deals finalized during the Kargil war, also taken up by the Comptroller and Auditor General, were referred to the CBI on April 13.

In a letter to the DoPT, the CBI is understood to have asked for specific allegations on each of the deals referred to them to show the ‘‘commission of cognisable offence.’’

By this, the CBI has indicated that merely on the basis of a Departmental Order containing a list of deals, it may not be possible for the CBI to register criminal cases. It is understood that the CBI had sent a similar request for specific allegations when the Tehelka inquiries were routed to them, but eventually had to make out their own criminal cases on the basis of the tapes.

A senior CBI official pointed out, ‘‘We have not told the Government that we are reluctant to undertake the inquiries. We have only elicited their cooperation in provding us specific allegations of cognizable offences to enable us to register criminal cases.’’

While the CBI had already initiated seven bribery cases on the basis of the Tehelka tapes, they had been referred another batch of 14 cases based on the report of the Central Vigilance Commission and the Phukan Commission. These include the purchase of T-90 tanks, the deal for purchase of Armoured Recovery Vehicles, the up-gunning of 130 mm M-46 field guns to 155mm calibre, the purchase of handheld thermal imagers and procurement of Krasnapol ammunition.

In its controversial second affidavit in the Supreme Court, forwarded to the CBI, the Government stated that it was exploring ‘‘whether the facts reveal a prima facie case of commercial offences under law as heavy financial losses in excess of Rs 2,000 crores (as per CAG report) were caused, in addition to the fact that the equipment did not materialise in the time of its need.’’

The supplementary affidavit also stated that ‘‘the Government is committed to taking strict action against officials/authorities, including the former Defence Minister…’’

The 23 new deals deals for which the CBI now wants pin-pointed allegations of criminality, deal from major Kargil purchases like surveillance radars and grenade launchers to woolen socks and sleeping bags.

Significantly, the purchase of aluminium caskets at an exhobitant price during the Kargil war, which was one of the most serious allegations faced by George Fernandes during his tenure as Defence Minister, also figures in the list of 23 fresh cases.