File photo: Pawan Bansal
New Delhi:
As the Congress parried questions on Wednesday from reporters about the ethics of former Railway Minister Pawan Bansal getting a ticket to contest the general election from Chandigarh at the same time his nephew, Vijay Singla, was being charged by the CBI in a railway jobs scam, I thought back to a conversation I had with one of the investigators. ('Tainted' Pawan Bansal re-nominated by the Congress)
This CBI man was an officer I trusted for a very simple reason - he was transparent. While he wasn't exactly friendly with the media, he would always have an explanation for the agency's every move, every decision, however dodgy it appeared.
Our conversation took place at a time when Pawan Bansal, who was forced to resign as minister in May last year, was left out of the CBI's chargesheet on the cash-for-promotion scam, and the opposition accused the investigating agency of doing the Congress another favour.
The officer simply said they had nothing to nail Mr Bansal in court with - not his voice on tape, no witness and no meeting between him and railway board member Mahesh Kumar, who was allegedly promised a better post by the minister's nephew for a Rs 10 crore bribe.
"So you're saying he's not to be blamed? And he just lost his job as Minister?" I prodded, trying to get a reaction out of a man who usually doesn't say much.
"Well, if you look at the details of the case, you'll know he had to step down," he said cryptically.
I pressed on, "You mean he deserved to lose his job because of things like his official phone was used?" He nodded in agreement.
I revisited my notes on the allegations against Pawan Bansal and why the CBI summoned him to its headquarters in Delhi for a day-long interrogation, followed by another grilling session in another office.
According to CBI, the meetings between Mr Bansal's nephew and Mahesh Kumar, allegedly to discuss bribes, took place in no strange location but the minister's official bungalow.
Even if the CBI didn't drag him to court and prosecute him, can Mr Bansal distance himself from what happened under his roof?
Vijay Singla, CBI officers said, was always seen at Pawan Bansal's office in Rail Bhavan and his personal secretary's room. Why did the minister encourage him? Isn't he responsible if his nephew exploited his family connection to demand Rs 10 crore for a promotion in railways?
The CBI didn't charge-sheet Pawan Bansal, it appeared to me, simply because the "route of the bribe" wasn't completed. Mr Bansal's nephew was caught taking the cash before he could organize the promotion, so there was no hard evidence of bribe for promotions. Mr Bansal may be let off by a court due to lack of evidence, but is it ok for the Congress to forget these details? Even the judge hearing the case reminded the CBI that Mr Bansal could be summoned at any stage during the trial. The CBI decided to at least involve him in testifying against his nephew as a prosecution witness.
So while the Congress spokesperson uses a technicality to declare Pawan Bansal fit to contest polls, my friend in the CBI, knowing all that he does, is probably shaking his head, his cynicism reinforced.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this blog are the personal opinions of the author. NDTV is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this blog. All information is provided on an as-is basis. The information, facts or opinions appearing on the blog do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
This CBI man was an officer I trusted for a very simple reason - he was transparent. While he wasn't exactly friendly with the media, he would always have an explanation for the agency's every move, every decision, however dodgy it appeared.
Our conversation took place at a time when Pawan Bansal, who was forced to resign as minister in May last year, was left out of the CBI's chargesheet on the cash-for-promotion scam, and the opposition accused the investigating agency of doing the Congress another favour.
The officer simply said they had nothing to nail Mr Bansal in court with - not his voice on tape, no witness and no meeting between him and railway board member Mahesh Kumar, who was allegedly promised a better post by the minister's nephew for a Rs 10 crore bribe.
"So you're saying he's not to be blamed? And he just lost his job as Minister?" I prodded, trying to get a reaction out of a man who usually doesn't say much.
"Well, if you look at the details of the case, you'll know he had to step down," he said cryptically.
I pressed on, "You mean he deserved to lose his job because of things like his official phone was used?" He nodded in agreement.
I revisited my notes on the allegations against Pawan Bansal and why the CBI summoned him to its headquarters in Delhi for a day-long interrogation, followed by another grilling session in another office.
According to CBI, the meetings between Mr Bansal's nephew and Mahesh Kumar, allegedly to discuss bribes, took place in no strange location but the minister's official bungalow.
Even if the CBI didn't drag him to court and prosecute him, can Mr Bansal distance himself from what happened under his roof?
Vijay Singla, CBI officers said, was always seen at Pawan Bansal's office in Rail Bhavan and his personal secretary's room. Why did the minister encourage him? Isn't he responsible if his nephew exploited his family connection to demand Rs 10 crore for a promotion in railways?
The CBI didn't charge-sheet Pawan Bansal, it appeared to me, simply because the "route of the bribe" wasn't completed. Mr Bansal's nephew was caught taking the cash before he could organize the promotion, so there was no hard evidence of bribe for promotions. Mr Bansal may be let off by a court due to lack of evidence, but is it ok for the Congress to forget these details? Even the judge hearing the case reminded the CBI that Mr Bansal could be summoned at any stage during the trial. The CBI decided to at least involve him in testifying against his nephew as a prosecution witness.
So while the Congress spokesperson uses a technicality to declare Pawan Bansal fit to contest polls, my friend in the CBI, knowing all that he does, is probably shaking his head, his cynicism reinforced.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this blog are the personal opinions of the author. NDTV is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this blog. All information is provided on an as-is basis. The information, facts or opinions appearing on the blog do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
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