First rate people of India victim of third rate Governance

We have to completely overthrow this system: Kejriwal
by Danish Raza Nov 3, 2012
Continuing his attack on the government over corruption and inflation, India Against Corruption (IAC) activist Arvind Kejriwal has asked Delhiites to switch off appliances at their homes for an hour (7 pm to 8 pm) today as a show of protest against electricity tariff hike.
In his tweets this morning, he reiterated that the Sheila Dikshit government increased the tariff to benefit power distribution companies.
Commenting on the Uttar Pradesh government dropping money laundering cases against Amar Singh, Kejriwal tweeted that it was shameful. “Is this criminal justice system? We have to completely overthrow this system. Next Mulayam Singh will withdraw cases against Salman Khurshid. Wait n watch. And in return, congress wud withdraw cases against mulayam,” he tweeted from the handle @ArvindKejriwal7.
In one of the tweets, he said the current crop of politicians gave no hope to India and these leaders and the system ought to be overthrown.
Since he started exposing corruption in political establishment, people have been providing him with information, reading which, he was shocked, he said.
“I am shocked to read all this, the extent of corruption. It is so crystal clear that there is just one reason for rising prices — corruption. Prices wud increase much more in coming years if something urgent were not done. It wud become impossible for people to live. There is just one hope — the people of India. Indians are first rate people who are victims of third rate system and third rate politicians,” Kejriwal said in his successive tweets today.
We have to completely overthrow this system: Kejriwal
Related Reading
The Karti Chidamabaram guide to misusing the IT Act
Will Corrupt Politicians be Jailed in India?
Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi sentenced to a year in jail for tax fraud by MICHAEL DAY MILAN FRIDAY 26 OCTOBER 2012

Conspiracy of Silence breeds Corruption

Conspiracy of silence by all political leaders on corruption: Former CJI JS Verma
POLITICS NEWS, Updated Oct 28, 2012 at 08:27am IST
Karan Thapar, CNN-IBN
New Delhi: Former Chief Justice of India, JS Verma has hit out at the political class saying that politicians are colluding with each other against the fight to end corruption. While speaking to Karan Thapar on this week's Devil's Advocate, he accused the politicians of conspiring to tolerate corruption at the highest level. Below is an excerpt of the interview:
Karan Thapar: Congress General Secretary Digvijaya Singh said to this programme just a week ago that he was aware of things done by Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee's foster son-in-law, Mr LK Advani's children which would not only embarrass their parents but were, he said, equivalent to corruption and wrongdoing. Yet he also insisted he would never reveal what he knew. What you make of that position?
ustice JS Verma: Well, that is a very disturbing statement. It reveals if true a conspiracy at the top against the combating of corruption which people are talking all the time and it shows that political morality is at its lowest ebb. Karan Thapar: But what about Mr Digvijaya's point that it is not ethical to target the children of families of politicians if they themsleves are not in politics. Justice JS Verma: Anyone in a position to influence decision making should be above suspicion.
Karan Thapar: These same ethics determined the silence of the BJP in March 2011 when the economic times first revealed Rober Vadra's DLF connections and the manner in which, the dramatic manner in which his companies fortunes had ballooned. At that time the BJP decided that it would not be ethical and proper to speak about Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law. Now in that instance was that wise discretion on the BJP's part or wrongful silence.
Justice JS Verma: It was failure of duty because, you see, personalities don't matter. According to me, the higher you are in hierarchy the more strict standard of behaviour you have to answer to.
Karan Thapar: So would you also go one step further and say - given on one hand Mr Digvijaya Singh's ethics and behaviour and given on the other the BJP's initial silence over Vadra - that the impression that is created is that politicians behave like a brotherhood which colludes to protect each other and sometimes colludes to cover up for each other.
Justice JS Verma: It would indicate or reveal a conspiracy of silence to tolerate corruption at the highest level.
Conspiracy of silence by all political leaders on corruption: Former CJI JS Verma

Italian middlemen prove Indian CBI Officials are morons

Indian officials are ‘morons’, will take years to track links, middlemen said
Manu Pubby : New Delhi, Tue Oct 30 2012, 01:52 hrs
The alleged middlemen in the AgustaWestland VVIP helicopter deal bragged that even if Indian investigators probed their role, they would find no money trail as the payments were made in cash, and that they would not be able to identify Sanjeev Kumar Tyagi as the person behind the affair, taped conversations that are part of an Italian judicial report reveal.
In a conversation between business partners Guido Haschke and Carlo Gerosa, the name of Tyagi — a Delhi-based businessman who is also known as Julie — comes up as the duo talk about payments being made in cash for the 2010 deal to procure 12 VVIP helicopters, and brag that Indian prosecutors would never be able to prove the corruption.
A part of the 568-page report records Gerosa as saying that “the only one who is safe from judicial consequence is Julie as they (Indian investigators) are morons and that there is no link”.
Tyagi, who claims to be a former Air Force officer but was not actually commissioned into the Force, is a Delhi-based consultant with an office in the city’s upmarket Ferozeshah Road area. He is believed to be active in the government sector, particularly power.
The following conversation that was recorded on March 1 between Haschke and Gerosa:
Haschke: The important (thing) is that my name does not leak.
Gerosa: Eh mine too. You are the first ring.
H: Understood.
G: If the first rings breaks I also come into the picture.
H: Let’s try to avoid that the first rings breaks, first of all!
G: We all agree.
H: And in the meantime we go on with the job.
G: The only one who has no risks is Julie, because we are those in the front.
G: There is really no link there because, I mean... cash.
H: Exactly, so they (the judges) will never be able to prove that corruption was there. They can say that engineering was expensive, though it is not even that expensive, but they can never say corruption was there. This is the essence.
Italian investigators conclude from the long-winding conversation that Gerosa was afraid that Indian investigators could get some clues that corruption took place for the Rs 3,546-crore deal.
“Haschke says they can claim that the engineering was expensive and nobody can ever say corruption took place. Gerosa disagrees and says there are some clues, Haschke says with clues you can be remanded but you cannot be sentenced. Gerosa says it just needs the judge to be convinced that corruption took place, it is not important if you have the proof of how much was paid and to whom,” the report says.
The two Italian consultants, who were extensively trailed, tracked and bugged by investigators, also brag about the fact that the commission paid has been routed through Mauritius and that it would take Indian sleuths years to track it down as they did not know about the Mauritius link. The duo express fear that their lawyer, Gautam Khaitan, may also get arrested if money laundering was probed.
Here is another conversation that also took place on March 1:
Gerosa: It’s clear that if money is no longer there, it must have gone somewhere, don’t we want to say where? In this thing even Gautam will go inside (behind bars) because (incomprehensible) Mauritius. You know when the letter of request will reach Mauritius? (incomprehensible) If they wanted... (incomprehensible)... with the letter to Mauritius (incomprehensible)....
Haschke: Before they send the letter to Mauritius, they have to understand it went there (the money). And to understand it went to Mauritius they first have to send a letter of request to Italy, then to Tunisia and then, maybe, in 10 years....
Italian investigators have also stumbled upon several Indians involved in the deal but have somehow not named them in the preliminary report. In one instance, the investigators summarised they learnt from shadowing Haschke and Gerosa as well as the conversations that were tapped THAT ....
“Following press articles regarding the corruption over the 12-helicopter deal (in The Indian Express), they talk, revealing some minute particulars regarding the sale and some people including Orsi, Spagnolini, Haschke, Gerosa and other Indian individuals involved in the case,” the police report says.
The Italian investigators have also concluded that the middlemen were receiving the “due payments” through moneylaundering operations in Tunisia and Mauritius.
“It is understood that they are receiving ‘the due’, that is the 20 million euros (rest went to Christian Michel) through fictitious operations in Tunisia. Afterwards, the money goes to Mauritius. It is also revealed that Orsi, Spagnolini and other top managers have full responsibility and complicity in the operation,” the report says, adding that the duo talk about other Italian and Indian individuals involved in the dealing.
Italian helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland has denied that it used agents or intermediaries for the India contract even as it admitted that it was aware of the preliminary investigation in the case.
Indian officials are ‘morons’, will take years to track links, middlemen said
India Operations
Haschke and Carlo jointly run Aeromatrix, the Chandigarh-based services company specializing in aerospace and a host of other sectors. The former, known for his connections in Indian military sector has been on the board of Emaar MGF in the past. With a series of corruption charges levelled against Finmeccanica, Italian prosecutors tapped the phone of Guido Haschke, the alleged middleman, while probing into the deal. They have informed the judiciary about the outstanding evidence procured by them. A part of the commission that was paid was routed through Mauritius and Tunisia, along with details of the tapped conversation.
Denial
A day after The Indian Express reported an Italian investigation report into corruption allegations in the VVIP helicopter deal, lawyer Gautam Khaitan, who has been named as one of the persons being investigated, has said that he has no role in any defence deal and his contact with alleged middleman Guido Haschke was limited to being a legal counsel.
“I strongly deny all such allegations and insinuation of my having any direct/indirect involvement in any defence deals along with the alleged deal of VVIP helicopters. There is no question of any wrongdoing. I and my firm are acting as the lawyers for Aeromatrix for the limited purpose of helping the company with its statutory compliances in India and some other petty day-to-day matters,” Khaitan said.
Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force has said that it has no records that Sanjeev Kumar Tyagi, who has been identified as a former air force officer in the Italian police report, has ever served with it.
The Italian report, however, does name Tyagi as one of the three Indians whose names figure in the chargesheet and has records of his conversations and meetings with Haschke. The report names him as a former IAF pilot who is now a Delhi-based businessman.
Sources, however, indicate that Tyagi did join the air force academy and train to be a pilot but may not have been actually commissioned into the air force. He is believed to be very close to several senior air force officers. Click here for the original post

Veterans lead in the anti- corruption crusade

Anna Hazare, VK Singh want Parliament dissolved
Published: Tuesday, Oct 30, 2012, 4:06 IST
By DNA Correspondent | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA
The country is set to witness another round of yatras by social activist Anna Hazare and his team from January 30, the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Until then, Anna will scout for people willing to join his team to trudge across the nation to help people select “right political candidates” for the 2014 general elections.
Anna and former army chief General VK Singh, who were in the city on Monday, addressed the media. “We will tell people to select political candidates on the basis of character, capacity and desire to serve people,” said Anna.
The two criticised the government and sought its dismissal “for not working for the people”. They charged the government of not protecting the people, not working for their welfare and being influenced by market-driven policies.
“We want the government to be dissolved as it is only slapping its neo-liberal policies on the people. While the preamble of the Constitution says that it is ‘by the people’, the people are not heard,” said Singh.
“The gap between the rich and poor is increasing as politicians are serving themselves and not the country,” said Hazare who advocated “pursuing of black money instead of taking loans from banks to better the economy”.
Anna also slammed the central investigation agency, the CBI, and reiterated the need for stronger laws while demanding judicial inquiry in recent allegations against BJP national president Nitin Gadkari. “People earn money for seven generations and go to jail for a few months. We need stronger laws to deter people,” he said.
As for his former associate, Arvind Kejriwal, Anna said that they had same goal but the means were different.
Speaking of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, Anna said if Modi was against corruption, he should have introduced the Lok Ayukta in his state.
Anna Hazare, VK Singh want Parliament dissolved
Comment: Many retired Generals become arm chair Military advisers or remain silent spectators when the nation is truly becoming a banana republic. Will Generals lead the citizens and farmers to true democracy or enjoy the cosy comfort of their homes by spinning more money?

IAF VVIP helicopter deal: Army Brigadier under scanner

Did Indian Brigadier solicit Italian arms kickbacks for chopper deal
Headlines Today has an exclusive information that a brigadier and two businessmen have been named in an Italian chargesheet.
Italian prosecutors, who have been investigating a series of corruption charges against Finmeccanica, tapped the phone of alleged middleman Guido Haschke as part of the probe into the deal. The prosecutors informed the court that they found strong clues that a part of the commission paid was routed through Mauritius and Tunisia.
Defence Minister clueless about backdoor dealings in MOD
“AgustaWestland is believed to have paid the mediators a commission of 41 million euros which later became 51 million,” the report says, adding that Lorenzo Borgogni, a former senior employee of the company claimed that two agents were hired to push the India deal. “In particular, Borgogni talked about international commercial operations and especially about the supply of 12 helicopters from AgustaWestland International Ltd. to the Indian government thanks to the mediation of Guido Ralph Haschke and Christian Michel. Indian law does not allow any compensation for mediators,” the report says. Incidentally, when the helicopter deal probe was first reported in March this year, Defence Minister A K Antony had informed Parliament that “no specific probe is being conducted about India-related transactions” by Rome.
Three Indians named in VVIP chopper bribery scam
Comment: Nothing will come out of the Investigations in India. Like all scams this too will be suitably buried, whereas the Italians like the USA will put the culprits behind bars.

Brigadier VS Saini under scanner for $5 million bribe demand in chopper deal

Brigadier under scanner for $5 million bribe demand in chopper deal
Published: Friday, Oct 26, 2012, 19:16 IST
Place: New Delhi | Agency: PTI
A brigadier is under the scanner for allegedly demanding bribe of $5 million from an Italian company in a helicopter deal, with the Defence Ministry today seeking details from the government there and assuring "strong action" against the culprits.
The allegations were levelled against the brigadier, who is currently posted at the Officers' Training Academy in Chennai, during an ongoing probe in Italy into the alleged involvement of Finmeccanica in paying kickbacks to secure defence deals including the Indian contract for 12 VVIP choppers.
Finmeccanica is the parent company of Agusta Westland and is under the scanner after a few arrests were made in Italy including personnel suspected to be the middlemen in the Indian contract.
"The Defence Ministry has asked the Italian government and concerned agencies through the External Affairs Ministry to provide the name and relevant documents relating to the alleged involvement of a brigadier in the ongoing process for the acquisition of 197 helicopters for the army.
"We will take strong action against offenders detected through this probe," Defence Ministry said in a release.
The allegation have been levelled against the officer in a letter allegedly sent by an Agusta Westland official in India to his superiors in Italy saying that the Brigadier was seeking $5 million for facilitating the deal in their favour. The letter was submitted by Italian prosecutors in a court there.
The ministry officials said the Italian government has been requested to provide details of the existence, if any, of any middlemen of any individual or Indian entity in the above contracts.
Agusta Westland has already won the Indian deal worth over Euro 560 million for supplying 12 AW101 VVIP choppers while its bid was rejected in the 197 choppers deal where Eurocopter and Russian Kamov are still in the race.
Brigadier under scanner for $5 million bribe demand in chopper deal
Related Reading
Did Indian Brigadier demand bribe to swing copter deal for AgustaWestland? Probe documents say so
Comment: The name of Brigadier V.S. Saini, a serving Indian Army officer, has surfaced in a document that Italian investigators have found in the course of their probe into possible kickbacks or commissions paid by Anglo-Italian helicopter manufacturer Augusta Westland (AW). Earlier Brig VS Saini, was Brigadier Aviation, Northern Command and now posted in OTA, Chennai. Will General Deepak Kapoor (30 Sep 2007 to 30 Mar 2010) be linked to this deal? Brig VS Saini could not have pulled off such a scam without blessings of the Chief. CBI should investigate all sources of income of Gen Deepak Kapoor who is a master spinner (Adarsh/ Tatra Scam to his credit and many more).

Senior Generals in the Corruption Brew

Audit exposes Rs 100 cr row in Army
WEDNESDAY, 24 OCTOBER 2012 00:07 PNS | NEW DELHI
Grappling with scams over the last few years, the Army is now faced with another controversy involving its top commanders allegedly involved in financial mismanagement while procuring critical items like bullet proof jackets, satellite phones and other operational equipment leading to losses of over Rs 100 crore in two years.
This fact came out in the internal audit carried out by the Defence Ministry which said scrutiny of 55 items procured indicated that basic procedure of purchasing item from original equipment manufacturer was not followed and the credentials of the contracted supplier was doubtful leading to possible security risk.
The audit report on “Exercise of delegated financial powers of Army Commanders” carried out in Northern and Eastern Command for the years 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 pointed out some operational items were possibly bought from the gray market. Moreover, in most of the cases delivery schedule was not adhered to and the Army did not levy penalty for late delivery, the 115-page report said.
The Government has sanctioned Rs 125 crore to Northern Army Commander, Rs 25 crore to Eastern Army chief and Rs 10 crore each to other four Army Commanders to buy operational equipment in case of any emergency so as to cut out delay in procurement.
However, delay in delivery of most of the items defeated the very purpose for which special funds were granted to the Army Commanders, the report said, adding the Commanders who are senior functionaries should not be burdened with the procurement functions.
The report said the loss to the exchequer due to mismanagement amounted to Rs 103.11 crore while procuring items like battlefield mine carrying package, all terrain vehicle, hand held radio sets, spares for bulldozers, avalanche rescue equipment, snow mobiles, mobile EPABX, avalanche air bag, avalanche victim detector, combat free fall parachutes, GPS, three ton trucks and diesel generator sets.
The report also questioned the loss of more than Rs 30 crore worth of milk procured for troops in the Northern Command and said the mismanagement led to wasteful expenditure. The report said while some commands and units had excess milk supply, some other units and commands did not have adequate milk supply.
Expressing concern over these losses, the audit suggested steps like procurement from centralised depots to cut down lengthy supply chain, procurement only from authorised vendors, stores to be bought for a period of three months and not more and introduction of checks and balances in commands.
Incidentally, the audit had conducted similar internal review of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and procurement of food for its troops by the Army. Following these audits, Defence Minister AK Antony last month asked all the departments of the Defence Ministry including the three Services to appoint financial advisors to oversee major procurements and prevent any legal bungling and mismanagement.
Audit exposes Rs 100 cr row in Army
Comment: The Local Purchase Powers of Formation Commanders need to be completely curbed or eliminated. The national Security is at stake when sub- standard and spurious stuff is palmed on to fighting troops. The paper work is so perfect it is difficult to catch the culprits. Remember all Generals are 9 pointers for honesty- the reason for this is because of the skewed ACR system in vogue. When dishonesty takes over the system there is no remedy!

100 crore scam exposed in Indian Army?

100 crore scam exposed in Indian Army?
23 Oct 2012, 5:06PM IST| Duration: 08:02

Comment: Local Purchase Powers are misused by Generals who are assured of 20% commission by the spurious dealers and vendors. The purchases are mired in paper work conducive for syphoning off funds. Some of these generals get employed by these dubious firms. This is a route to money and re- employment too.

Adarsh Housing scam: Will the truth ever come out?

Tuesday 23 October 2012
News updated at 3:51 PM IST by Prabhat Sharan
A thick jungle of intertwined vines with only blinking fire-flies casting light on facts is what now makes up the Adarsh Housing Society scandal -- which made sensational headlines last year for the alleged involvement of Army top brass, politicians and bureaucrats, but quietly faded into the background since. While other high-profile scams like 2G spectrum, cash-for-vote and illegal mining continue to be in the news with several ‘dignitaries’ scurrying between jail and bail, the Adarsh scam has almost been banished from public memory, as investigators struggle to wade through the thick foliage of information and arrive at appropriate conclusions.
It is through this forest where vines of corruption and chicanery are indistinguishably twined into a Gordian knot, the two-member judicial commission is trying to hack its way slowly picking up clues, which later turn up as red herrings.
Unlike other commissions set up elsewhere in country as well as in Maharashtra earlier, Justice (retd) J A Patil and former state chief secretary P Subramanian, the two-member commission set up last year to look into the Adarsh Housing scam, has no simple task before it; the commission has to sift out truth and elusive facts from various agencies, bodies and groups of interests to come to a conclusion.
The involvement of multifarious agencies all inextricably linked with each other coupled with political personalities from ruling party juggling with facts has made any kind of breakthrough into establishing even the primary ownership of the contentious land ‘deed,’ a Herculean task.
Last week Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan was forced to admit that the progress into the Adarsh Housing scam “is extremely slow and there are no two opinions about it.”
And the result of the slow progress is that the commission which has already received two extensions since it’s inception has been forced to postpone the submission of its interim report. The interim report was expected this month but it came as no surprise when the news trickled out that it would be delayed.
The depth of involvement and the reach of the politician-builder-bureaucratic trinity in the scam which has innumerable questions buried in its past has managed to widen the chasm between the truth and justice. There are hardly any doubts regarding the veracity of the belief that violations had taken place through deceit; but the establishing of these facts, pointing to the manipulation of various governmental institutions by the powers be, is a different matter altogether. For this, the commission is wading through 379 files containing 1.50 lakh documents. There are over 100 affidavits filed by different persons, besides there is also the problem of ‘disappearance’ of several relevant and important documents.
No guiding light
Till date with varied and contradictory statements gleaned from officials and people summoned, the commission is yet to decide as to the identity of the ownership of the plot even though it is not supposed to outside its scope. But since CBI is also expected now to report to the quasi-judicial body, the investigation results have so far not provided any guiding light to the committee.
The Army, soon after the scam broke proclaimed that the land belonged to the defence, but later could only come up with maps dating back to 1950s and were unable to furnish any latest proofs to their claim. The state government on its part came up with another set of documents showing that it had taken the Colaba plot on which Adarsh building was erected from the Army by giving the latter a plot located in Malad-Kandivli belt in far-flung north-western suburbs.
To compound the matter worse, the initial allegation that ignited the scam of the land being reserved for Kargil war martyrs widow continues to be in limbo and so do other allegations flying around: reservation of flats; allotment of extra floor space index (FSI); widening of Prakash Pethe Road; reservation of the BEST (civic) plot; violation of coastal regulation zone (CRZ) norms and the role of bureaucrats in the manipulation of records and allotment of flats in the controversial 31-storey Adarsh building.
The presence of in-fighting and political rivalry continues to throw up sensational facts with an alarming regularity; but the headlines grabbing facts except adding to the confused state of affairs till date has contributed nothing to the investigations that could lead to the booking of the guilty parties.
The ruling Congress-led Democratic Front alliance government after instituting a CBI inquiry into the matter conveniently allowed the setting up of a judicial commission with quasi-judicial powers. Higher-ups in bureaucratic echelons while accepting that in the final lap the commission may manage to come out with the truth of the matter; but it would be a long, long run.
Till then the ruling DF, political personages, bureaucrats, relatives of people in power and retired high-ranking defence officials can take respite in the fact that the truth buried in the murky inception of the Adarsh Housing Society will continue to erupt as questions and nothing more.
History of all commissions be it the Lentin Commission, Srikrishna Commission, Liberhan Commission or any other quasi-judicial commission is that they take ample time to ascertain and establish the guilt of the parties concerned. And Adarsh Housing Commission will also have to trudge the same long winding path. Till the commission reaches to a conclusion, neither the Opposition political parties nor any civil rights groups can point a finger at the ruling political alliance for not taking action.
Adarsh Housing scam: Will the truth ever come out?

MES officers held in bribe case

Four naval MES officers held in bribe case date: 22/10/2012
The CBI on Thursday evening arrested four officers of the Military Engineering Services (MES), Navy, Lonavla for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 5 lakh from a contractor for passing his bills.
The arrested officers are garrison engineer Joy Thomas, assistant garrison engineers A K Khan and K Saravanan, and junior engineer (civil) Ravi Paul.
According to the CBI, contractor Kuldeep Jain from Market Yard was awarded two contracts, totally worth Rs 2 crore, for construction work at the navy’s training institute INS Shivaji in Lonavla.
Jain received running bills of Rs 72 lakh for one contract on October 10, and Rs 13 lakh for the other contract on October 12. However, the officers had allegedly demanded a bribe to pass the other bills, for the work was still going on.
Jain lodged a complaint with the CBI’s anti-corruption bureau on Wednesday. The CBI laid a trap in the office of Joy Thomas on Thursday and caught the suspects red-handed. The investigation agency seized Rs 1.5 lakh from Thomas and Rs 1 lakh from his cupboard, Rs 1 lakh from Khan, Rs 50,000 from Saravanan and Rs 1 lakh, which was meant for Paul, from the car of Saravanan.
On Friday, inspector D K Bali produced the suspects before special court judge D R Mahajan. Seeking five days’ CBI custody for the suspects, special public prosecutors Vivek Saxena and Ayub Pathan told the court that custodial interrogation of the suspects was essential to investigate their individual roles in the case. They also said that the CBI needed time to investigate the role of the suspects in connection with dealing of files and passing bills at various levels.
The court sent the suspects to CBI custody till October 22, 2012
-via The Times of India.
MES officers held in bribe case

Tatra scam: Will the former Chief's be linked?

CBI books Tejinder Singh for bribe offer to ex-Army chief
Neeraj Chauhan, TNN | Oct 21, 2012, 03.23AM ISTNEW DELHI: After six months of elaborate investigation, the CBI on Saturday filed a case against Lt Gen (retd) Tejinder Singh for allegedly offering a bribe of Rs 14 crore to former Army chief General VK Singh to clear the purchase of 1,676 high-mobility Tatra trucks for the Indian Army.
The agency carried raids at seven places in Delhi, Mumbai and Noida on the premises of Vectra Group chairman Ravi Rishi and Tejinder Singh's residence at Safdarjung Enclave here, and recovered Rs 98 lakh in cash and also questioned the retired Lt Gen.
Sources say that Tejinder Singh even had links with alleged arms-dealer Abhishek Verma, which is being probed.
Although there was a two-year lag between when the ex-Army chief reported the alleged bribe offer to defence minister AK Antony and CBI registering a Preliminary Enquiry (PE), the agency has decided to launch a formal investigation since the evidence seemed to corroborate Gen VK Singh's version of what transpired between the two.
CBI is conducting a parallel inquiry into the complaint regarding the monopoly Tatra has enjoyed for two decades in supplying all-terrain trucks to defence forces. Sources said the charge sheet in the case is in final stages, and could be filed in a Delhi court shortly. The agency is expected to charge officials of Tatra and the public sector, Bharat Earth Movers Limited.
Sources in the CBI said that preliminary investigation has established retired Tejinder Singh's meeting with the then Army chief as well as that the latter was unhappy with what had transpired. During its probe, CBI has established that cause of action of Tejinder Singh's visit to General VK Singh on September 22, 2010, was because "the file related to procurement of Tatra trucks was lying on the table of army chief that day" and that "Tejinder Singh offered bribe on behalf of Ravi Rishi as he is closely associated with the latter".
Antony's confirmation of General VK Singh's "oral complaint" was found to be strong corroborative evidence.
But strengthened the case for a formal investigation was evidence of Tejinder Singh's alleged dealings with lobbyists for arms manufacturers, including a Korean company. Tejinder Singh has been booked under section 12 of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act. Under Section 12 of the PC Act, a person who abets the offence of making a public servant accept illegal gratification, whether or not that offence is committed in consequence of that abetment, can be punished with the minimum punishment of six months which may extend to five years.
"We have evidence of his links with a shadowy set of former defence officers who were on the payroll of arms manufacturers and suppliers", said a senior CBI source.
CBI books Tejinder Singh for bribe offer to ex-Army chief

Tatra Scam: Will Tejinder Singh sing?

Tatra scam: CBI carries out raids, registers case against Tejinder Singh Oct 20, 2012
New Delhi: CBI today carried out raids at five places here after registering a case against Lt Gen (retd) Tejinder Singh on Ex-Army chief VK Singh’s complaint that he was offered bribe to clear a tranche of “substandard” vehicles.
CBI sources said the agency has registered a case against Tejinder Singh and unknown persons after it gathered prima-facie evidence to register a formal case on the complaint of Gen Singh.
Soon after registering the FIR under relevant sections of Prevention of Corruption Act, the agency carried out searches at five locations here including the premises of Tejinder Singh, they said.
After getting a formal complaint from Gen Singh, the agency had initiated a preliminary enquiry in April this year.
The then Army chief had alleged that Tejinder Singh offered him a bribe of Rs 14 crore, a matter he had reported to Defence Minister AK Antony, to clear purchase of nearly 600 all-terrain Tatra BEML trucks in September 2010.
Tejinder Singh has refuted the allegations and also slapped a defamation case against Gen Singh.
As part of the Preliminary Enquiry, CBI has looked into the alleged relationship Tejinder Singh enjoyed with the Vectra group which purportedly prompted him to make the offer to the then Army Chief, the sources said.
During the course of the preliminary enquiry, the agency has questioned Tejinder Singh with regards to allegations levelled by Gen Singh and his alleged relations with arms dealers including Vectra Chairman Ravinder Rishi.
Tatra scam: CBI carries out raids, registers case against Tejinder Singh

How Ministers children rule India?

Politician to son: Don’t come back to India
by Anant Rangaswami Oct 15, 2012
My dear son,
When you went abroad to study, it was with a clear understanding that, once you finish your education you would return to India. We took a family decision when your education ended; that it made sense for you to stay in the US for a few years more, enjoy your youth, money and then return and stand for elections as Member of Parliament from the constituency our family has represented for so many decades.
It has been five years since you left, and, last week, when we spoke on Skype, you told me that you believed that it was time to return. At first, I was delighted. Then, after the call was over, the import of what you planned to do sank in. My impulse was to call you back immediately, but I thought I’d put my thoughts down in an email so that you have a better understanding of what I want to say and why I say it.
In a nutshell, I do not want you to return to India. The India of today is not the India that you left. Much has changed – and much of the change negatively affects families like ours.
“The India of today is not the India that you left. Much has changed – and much of the change negatively affects families like ours”. AP There is a change in the balance of power in society. People do not understand what people like me, member of parliament, do – and no longer acknowledge that all of us, thanks to the great sacrifices we make for our constituency, do not live like normal people.
Just the other day, a fellow Member of Parliament was almost shamed in the context of what media is calling a Rs 71 lakh ‘scam’. The media, who no longer seem to have respect for people like us, are harassing him the whole day, treating him like a common cheat. Even worse is the case of Robert Vadra, Priyankaji’s husband. It seems DLF lent Robertji Rs 65 crore without any security – and the media and social activists are making that out to be a crime. What crime? Many friends in business have lent me hundreds of crores without any security over the decades – and they haven’t even asked for me to return it. Why would they? After all, as a friend, I’ve helped them on so many instances that they’ve earned fortunes from our friendship. Now, media is making it sound like it’s a crime for MPs and ministers to help friends. What a terrible state of affairs.
Sharad Pawar’s nephew has been forced to resign because of some allegations on a developmental work that he was involved in. Media says that he helped contractors make extra money by approving of rises in estimates after the contracts were awarded. What is wrong with that? Your grandfather used to do the same with his friends, as did I.
Ministers like Raja, Kanimozhi and Kalmadi have been jailed because of trying to help their friends. This is where our country is going to. No one has any respect for our class any more, and the media and social activists are being helped by the courts – they’re ganging up against us.
Things are bad in India, son. It is becoming difficult for people like us to carry on in the way we are used to. We are treated like commoners, we are called cheats and thugs. We’re reaching a stage when toll booth attendants expect us to pay – an FIR was filed against an MP who, obviously got upset at the request and threatened the attendant with a gun for his cheek.
It is getting very petty. The other day, Air-India staff at Guwahati charged three MPs for carrying excess baggage. MPs not being allowed excess baggage on the national airline, and lowly employees of Air-India not respecting them? This is the new India, the India you want to come back to!
That’s why I write this note to you. Do not come back to India, and forget about plans on a career in politics. Come to Geneva next week; I will meet you there. I will transfer money to your account so that you can invest in a house in New York. As far as business is concerned, maybe you could buy a university nearby. After all, your uncle has six universities in India and they are quite profitable. I will ask him to guide you when you begin your venture.
Will discuss in detail when we meet next week.
With love from your father.
Politician to son: Don’t come back to India

OROP: ESM waits for Justice while Government squanders money on subsidies

Extending the 'one rank one pension' rule to ex-servicemen was long overdue
ET Bureau Oct 8, 2012, 06.42AM IST
The government has done well to accede to the long standing demand of ex-servicemen for 'one rank, one pension (Orop)'. But the manner of putting this principle to practice has invited criticism from ex servicemen.
This defeats any political gain the ruling coalition expected from the decision. It is still possible to discuss this with ex-servicemen and remove the niggles that remain. This corrects a long-standing injustice to the armed forces vis-a-vis their civilian counterparts.
The government had conceded the Orop demand for civilians close to a decade ago on the grounds of equity. It is iniquitous to differentiate between pension entitlement of retirees of the same rank and years of service merely on the basis of when they retire.
Having accepted the merit of this in one case, there was no justification to deny it to ex-servicemen. Many would argue the nation owes more to those who guard its borders than to civilian pensioners. Governments resisted the Orop demand because of the additional stress it would impose on the exchequer.
Unlike civilians who retire at 60 and, given the average life span of 70-80 years, can be expected to draw pension for an average of 10-20 years, military personnel retire earlier. As a result, they can be expected to draw pensions for much longer. The reality, moreover, is that the rules of the game are drawn up by civilians and that meant ex-servicemen had to wait for justice to be done.
As a paper that has long argued for fiscal rectitude and expenditure control, it might seem at odds for us to defend a package that is expected to cost about Rs 2,300 crore annually in its present form, a little more when the package is properly fleshed out and is likely to increase in future.
Except that we have never stood for a blanket clamping down on expenditure as much as for rationalisation and wise prioritisation of public expenditure. Between subsidies on diesel and cooking gas of over Rs 1.5 lakh crore and other subsidies, the Rs 2,300-crore bill on account of higher pension to ex-servicemen, there is no doubt which is more deserving. In terms of hard numbers, the amount is almost insignificant. But as a long-overdue * gesture, its significance cannot be underestimated.
Extending the 'one rank one pension' rule to ex-servicemen was long overdue

India hit by Corruption Bombs

October 10, 2012, 9:45 a.m. ET
India Plans Changes in Anti-Corruption Law By ROMIT GUHA
NEW DELHI--India's government is planning to amend the country's anti-corruption law to plug its loopholes as well as to add provisions to book corporates that fail to prevent bribery and protect honest officials, the prime minister said Wednesday.
The reforms initiated in the early 1990s did reduce many corrupt practices, but the subsequent, faster economic growth led to newer opportunities for corruption, Dr. Manmohan Singh said in a speech to the federal agencies that investigate corruption cases.
While the corrupt should be "relentlessly pursued," the innocent shouldn't be harassed, he said.
Dr. Singh's speech comes in the backdrop of a slew of corruption allegations faced by the Congress party-led coalition government on issues ranging from allocation of radio bandwidth to the grant of coal blocks and the organization of the Commonwealth Games in 2010. The most recent issue involves allegations of corruption against the relative of a top ruling-party leader.
The government has denied any wrongdoing in all these cases. These allegations have left the government scrambling to contain the damage to its image rather than work on its legislative agenda. Many say officials were wary of taking decisions fearing they may come under the scanner at a later date or get pulled up by courts.
The government has promised not to protect those involved in wrongdoing. Several senior government officials and lawmakers, including a former telecoms minister in Dr. Singh's Cabinet, are facing criminal charges of conspiracy. They have all denied the charges.
"Experience has also shown that big-ticket corruption is mostly related to operations by large commercial entities," Dr. Singh said. "It is therefore also proposed to include corporate failure to prevent bribery as a new offence."
He said the amendment will seek to tackle a loophole in the existing law which doesn't have any provisions to prosecute the bribe provider.
New Delhi is working on a system to transfer benefits under social-sector programs directly to the bank accounts of people, instead of distributing them through government agencies, he said. It also plans to pay cash to consumers instead of some subsidies it currently gives to companies for selling their products at state-set prices. While reiterating the importance of fighting corruption, Dr. Singh said the "mindless atmosphere of negativity and pessimism" that is created over corruption can only damage the country's image and hit at the morale of the government.
India Plans Changes in Anti-Corruption Law

Can P Chidambaram keep GDP at pace with Inflation?

October 9, 2012, 2:35 PM IST
IMF Cuts India Growth Forecast to 4.9%
In a speech last month, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said India’s economic growth could “collapse” to about 5% per year if the country can’t break free of a “policy logjam” and make advances in everything from manufacturing output to infrastructure development to agricultural growth.
Well, by that definition, the International Monetary Fund has just said India is in the process of collapsing. The IMF’s “World Economic Outlook,” released Tuesday, forecast 4.9% gross domestic product expansion in India in 2012, a downward revision of 1.3 percentage points from the July forecast — the worst mid-year recast by the IMF for any major economy.
The report said: “India’s activity suffered from waning business confidence amid slow approvals for new projects, sluggish structural reforms, policy rate hikes designed to rein in inflation, and flagging external demand.”
The government’s outlook, not surprisingly, is more bullish. Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram told reporters Monday that he expected growth to rebound from the April-June level of 5.5% in coming quarters. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Chidambaram said he expects that India’s moves to allow greater foreign participation in a range of sectors from retail to aviation to insurance will buoy the economy, along with coming fiscal belt-tightening measures.
Indeed, the IMF does see the recent round of reforms having some impact – but it will take some time. “Improvements in external conditions and confidence––helped by a variety of reforms announced very recently––are projected to raise real GDP growth to about 6 percent in 2013,” the IMF report said.
India’s hard times aren’t out of step with the world. The IMF’s growth forecast for advanced economies including the U.S., Germany and U.K. is 1.3% for 2012; Brazil’s forecast of 1.5% represents a one percentage point downward revision.
But sub-5% growth in India has some very perilous implications for the country. Indeed, anything below 6% growth can lead to rising unemployment in a nation where millions of young people are joining the workforce each year. The Kelkar Committee, an expert panel that recently submitted recommendations to the finance ministry on fiscal policy, said growth of 6% could translate into 2.4% employment growth, too slow to keep up with 2.5% labor force growth.
Mr. Singh in his recent remarks to a Planning Commission meeting made it clear how high the stakes are. In making a case that policymakers need to break out of their state of gridlock, he said: “If this continues for any length of time, vicious cycles begin to set in and growth could easily collapse to about 5 percent per annum, with very poor outcomes on inclusion. I urge everyone interested in the country’s future to understand fully the implications of this scenario. They will quickly come to an agreement that the people of India deserve better than this.”
Amol Sharma is an India Correspondent for The Wall Street Journal.
IMF Cuts India Growth Forecast to 4.9%
About P Chidambaram
His grand uncles and grand father were the Co-founders of Indian Overseas Bank, Indian Bank, United India Insurance and Annamalai University. He is married to Nalini Chidambaram, daughter of Justice (Retd.) Kailasam, Supreme Court, and Mrs. Soundra Kailasam, a renowned Tamil Poet and author, who is a Senior Advocate and a tax lawyer practicing in the Madras High Court and the Supreme Court, primarily in litigation related to the Central Excise department of the Government of India. He has a son, Karti P. Chidambaram, who graduated with a BBA degree from the University of Texas, and a Bachelors in Law from Cambridge University. His son is also a politician in the Congress party and consultant and CEO of many companies. Chidambaram is an atheist. Click here for more...
Tail piece: Chidambaram as FM only sees $$ in FDI's... He is Master of Mathematics, Money and Magic!

Media Cover for Ghosts and Corrupt Bureaucrats in MOD

Ref: Army HQ nod to foreign firm under scanner
India: Emergency Defense Purchase
Tue, 2012-10-09 00:38 — editor
News Comments By S.G.Vombatkere**
The front page news report of a reputed national daily on October 8, 2012, is headlined “Army HQ nod to foreign firm under scanner”. A picture of retired Gen V.K.Singh with the caption “Ex-Army chief initiated 'emergency purchase'” and the subtitle “$100 mn Tender – MoD finds Bulgarian firm not an original manufacturer; Russia complains”, clearly targets Army HQ.
The news item concerns emergency procurement of anti-aircraft gun ammunition allegedly through an irregular selection procedure.
This needs to be viewed in the context of the then Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Gen V.K.Singh's April 2012 letter to the Prime Minister, in which he reported that there were military hardware obsolescence’s and deficiencies of ammunition and equipment seriously affecting the battle readiness of the army.
This letter got leaked to the media. Even though Gen V.K.Singh demanded that the source of the leak be punished because it is treasonable, and the Raksha Mantri (RM) said it is a “breach of national security”, bureaucrats in MoD/PMO are soft-pedaling investigation because the ghost that caused the leak is right there amongst them.
Among the questions that need to be asked are: “Why did Army HQ initiate emergency purchase of anti-aircraft (AA) ammunition?”; “Could not Army HQ have foreseen the requirement and projected it to MoD in the normal course?”; and, “Did glitches in procurement procedures result in inordinate delay and consequent shortage of AA ammunition, creating an emergency that would have serious operational repercussions?”.
Also, if there is a military engagement with another country, can any COAS simply pack up the AA guns and tell the PM or RM, 'You have not provided the ammunition'? It is well known that defense procurement procedures are bureaucrat-controlled and corruption is indulged in by those who are in control. This is not to absolve Army HQ or COAS of responsibility but to point out that the dominant role in all defense procurement is that of the MoD bureaucracy, specifically, the Defense Secretary.
It is only the COAS who would initiate emergency purchase precisely because that is the level of responsibility for national security. But the reporter apparently has not stopped to enquire why there was an emergency. Targeting Army HQ by oblique accusation of corruption has inadvertently provided cover to corrupt officials. In any case it would have been more appropriate to paste the Defense Secretary's picture with the news report.
Gen V.K.Singh's courageous, path-breaking and openly-declared condemnation of corruption among the nexus of corrupt bureaucrats and certain retired army officers, together with the unassailable honesty of RM A.K.Antony, have discomfited the MoD bureaucracy. Hence it is necessary for them to target Army HQ and Gen V.K.Singh to divert media glare away from them.
It is unfortunate that the media has been misled by information provided by MoD bureaucrats, without asking questions on the lines mentioned above. One sincerely hopes that there is no bureaucrat-media nexus in this case.
**S.G.Vombatkere served 35 years in the Indian army and retired with the rank of major general from the post of Additional DG in charge of Discipline and Vigilance in Army HQ, New Delhi. He is presently engaged in voluntary work and is a member of the National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) and People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL). Asian Tribune
India: Emergency Defense Purchase
Related reading
Lt Gen Bhatia to probe MI unit set up by ex-chief Gen V K Singh

Tatra Scam: Will Tejinder Singh influence the Law Ministry?

CBI to file chargesheet against Rishi
Neeraj Chauhan, TNN Oct 5, 2012, 03.40AM IST
NEW DELHI: The CBI will file a chargesheet against Ravi Rishi and others in the Tatra scam and finalize the enquiry into the alleged bribe offer to former Army chief General V K Singh within few weeks.
According to sources, investigation into the Tatra scam is over and the agency is awaiting the reply of the legal department on a recent presentation given by former BEML chief V R S Natarajan, who had claimed that it was a licence agreement and not transfer of technology.
About the alleged bribery offer to V K Singh by Lt Gen (retd) Tejinder Singh, CBI sources said they were taking legal opinion on the evidence collected to establish a link between Tejinder and Ravi Rishi. "We will decide whether to convert the preliminary enquiry into a regular case or not very soon," said an official. Officials said they would file a charge sheet without replies from Czech Republic and Slovakia.
CBI to file chargesheet against Rishi
Comment: Will the 3 scamsters and Conmen- Rishi, Tejinder and Natarajan be ever convicted? This is likely to take the Bofors route of intrigue- the no conviction route!

NDA Scam: Godfathers in the Army perpetuate Greed, Corruption and Sleeze

My story, is about the accused colonel and who is Anil Kumar Singh, the Physical Training Officer, NDA and is the Presiding Officer of the BOO.
This officer, like many others transferred from the Mechanised Infantry into the Army Physical Training Corps (APTC) and has served under me, while I was in service. While I was his superior and the Head of Service of the APTC, A K Singh was always and ever on the lookout for any opportunity which came his way to ingratiate himself to me as also others, who mattered. The officer, an ex NDA himself and from India Squadron, is of an average calibre but ambitious to the extent of going to any distance, for self seeking positional and promotional gains. On an occasion, when I was the Deputy Director General (DDG) in the Integrated Head Quarters of Defence (Army), he wrote to me an unsigned demi official letter, requesting for an undue favour regarding his posting, which was most unbecoming in the circumstances, keeping in mind the turnover of officers in the interest of the Corps and the Organization. This was seen by me in a very adverse and poor manner, and I recommended suitable administrative action against him, to his superior officer and the commandant.
The commandant doled out an innocuous warning to the officer, as a matter of routine compliance to my observation, probably because of his closeness to the officer for whatever good reason or otherwise. Given the unbecoming alliance between some senior officers in the Army institute of Physical Training (AIPT) and the Directorate General of Military Training, A K Singh managed to get his way with regard to his posting, with tacit support from the then Director General of Military Training, who also happens to be the ex officio Colonel Commandant of the APTC and who prevailed upon the parent Military Secretary’s branch, to do the needful. By the time I learnt about this, The DGMT and the Colonel Commandant was on his way on promotion to command a Corps in the Northern Sector. I, then wrote to the Deputy Military Secretary (Dy MS) about the grave wrong which was about to get done, should the officer’s request be upheld with regard to his posting, notwithstanding the favourable recommendation of the erstwhile DGMT and Colonel Commandant, who, was by now comfortably ensconced in his new appointment, on promotion. My letter was also forward to the ex DGMT, apprising him about my request to the Dy MS, to ignore the former’s directions on AK Singh’s request about his posting. The Dy MS saw good reason in my recommendations to undo what had been done and posted out the officer from where he wanted to remain for another year or so.
A K Singh smelled the opportunity, ingratiated himself through the staff officer to the commandant NDA, and emerged as the prime candidate to be assigned the responsibility to become the Presiding Officer of the now infamous BOO.
Major General (retd) Gagan Deep Bakshi, I am not willing to believe you when you defend the corrupt and the arrogant in the Army, by always finding an escape route for yourself from a vulnerable situation, during a debate on the sliding standards of probity and rectitude in the Armed Forces, by becoming patronising towards the anchor and sermonising him on how the day starts for a cadet in the NDA, by reciting the PRAYER of, truth, courage and values.
When the guardians and custodians start eroding the value system themselves, just akin to the fence which grows and eats into the lawn, what will be the credibility of an officer and a leader, who commands and leads, not by example but by the positional authority vested in him by the Rashtrapati. The making of a revolt or else a mutiny in the rank and files of the Army, is not a distant possibility. Beware!
Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal
Extracted from: Click here for the full details
Comment: This story has all the ingredients for a Bollywood Blockbuster. The story is same or similar in all the Army Training Institutions like Staff College, College of Combat, IMA, and more... most of the sleeze scams are generally covered up.

Tatra Scam: Will Corrupt Babus and Generals still get their kickbacks?

HT New Delhi, September 17, 2012
The defence ministry is planning to cancel the BEML order, worth over Rs. 50 lakh, given to UK-based Tatra Sipox for supplying one truck, in the wake of the CBI probe into the allegations of irregularities in the supply of these vehicles. The order for the truck was placed by BEML in May for the Defence Research and Development Organisation.
The Ministry is planing to cancel the order worth over Rs. 50 lakh placed by BEML with the UK-based Tatra Sipox, sources told PTI here.
When asked about the development, defence ministry's Department of Defence Production refused to comment on it.
BEML had written a letter to Tatra Sipox in May this year seeking urgent delivery of a Tatra truck for around Euro 88,000 (over Rs. 50 lakh).
The tie-up between BEML and UK-based Tatra Sipox for supplying Tatra trucks to the Indian forces has been under the scanner after former Army Chief Gen VK Singh alleged that he was offered a bribe of Rs. 14 crore for clearing a file for procuring over 600 such vehicles.
After the allegations came to light on March 27, defence minister AK Antony ordered a CBI inquiry into the allegations.
BEML's chairman and managing director VRS Natarajan has also been removed out of his office by the Ministry for ensuring a free and fair probe into the charges.
BEML and Tatra have supplied more than 6,000 such heavy-duty trucks to the armed forces and the DRDO for carrying missiles and other heavy systems.
Defence ministry to cancel DRDO's Tatra truck order PTI