CBI books two of Army, IDAS officer among 6 in graft case

Amit Sharma

Chandigarh, June 30

The Chandigarh branch of the CBI has filed a case against six individuals, including two Army officers and a local contractor, following allegations of cheating and violation of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The accused allegedly granted unfair advantage to the contractor by circumventing the provisions of the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) and expediting payment of bills without objections.

According to the CBI, JS Bedi of M/S ML Agencies, located in Anand Complex, Sector 17, had allegedly been obtaining contracts for supplying goods to an Army unit in Bikaner Cantt, Rajasthan, by bypassing GeM regulations and bribing Uma Shankar Prasad Kushwaha, an Indian Defence Accounts Service officer.

Kushwaha, serving as the integrated financial adviser for the South Western Command in Jaipur, was responsible for approving financial matters related to the unit. The CBI stated that Bedi established contact with two Army officers Sandeep Rajput and Dev Kumar Verma both stationed at the unit. The officers in turn sought assistance from Rajendra Singh of M/S Tanushree Services, Jhotwara, Jaipur, to further the matter.

Rajput allegedly approached Rajendra to resolve an issue related to JS Bedi favourably. It is alleged that Rajendra pursued matters regarding contract awards at the unit with Vijay Nama, a junior translator at the principal controller of defence accounts for the South Western Command. Nama subsequently approached Kushwaha to secure favourable orders. On September 19, 2022, Nama asked Rajendra to deposit Rs 20,000 into a bank account. Nama instructed Rajendra to collect the illegal gratification from the party concerned.