Cracking down on graft, Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has recommended to the Home Ministry that action be taken against Udit Prakash Rai, a 2007 AGMUT cadre IAS officer and former vice-chairman of Delhi Agricultural Marketing Board (DAMB), for indulging in corruption while in office, sources said.
The LG has also authorised Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to set aside the “punishment of censure” in cases against PS Meena, the errant executive engineer of the DAMB who was unduly favoured by Rai, and ensure appropriate punishment.
Saxena’s decision comes on the heels of a ‘substantiated recommendation’ made by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in an alleged case of bribery.
Rai allegedly took Rs 50 lakh bribe for extending ‘undue favors’ to Meena. Rai has been accused of ‘diluting punishment’ in two cases of corruption, in which Meena was found to be involved, in exchange for bribe.
A complaint was lodged in the MHA by JS Sharma on February 10, 2020.
THE TWO CASES
The allegation is that Rai let off Meena in two cases of disproportionate assets — one even involving Meena’s son and wife.
In the first case, the inquiry report submitted by a retired IAS officer on January 29, 2021 had recommended “major penalty/dismissal from service” against Meena, as per the CVC guidelines. Sources point out that Rai issued the ‘censure’ in ‘ unreasonable haste’ on the last day of his posting as V-C, DAMB, even after his transfer orders from the same department had been issued on February 24, 2021, the very same day that Meena submitted his reply.
It has been pointed out that the punishment of censure was also not communicated to the relevant officials, which meant that it was not even mentioned in the latter’s service book.
In the second case involving Meena’s wife, Rai had ordered an inquiry. However, Rai ordered ‘punishment of censure’ and clubbed it with the first case without conducting an enquiry or even a formal letter.
In a letter to then Chief Secretary Vijay Dev, the CBI noted these were “deliberate lapses” by Rai.
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