Rs 2 crore bribe amount was interim payment for Singla

New Delhi: Rupees two crore alleged bribe amount agreed upon between the nephew of Railway Minister PK Bansal and Railway Board member Mahesh Kumar was for an interim arrangement allowing Kumar to keep additional charge of Western Railway till his new posting as Member (Electrical), CBI sources said.

Middleman Sandeep Goyal had allegedly promised Kumar to arrange the plum post of Member (Electrical) in Railway Board in return for promised Rs 10 crore, which needed time till the retirement of present members, the sources said. Goyal was in touch with Singla and another middleman Ajay Garg to secure the posting of Kumar as Member (Electrical). In the meanwhile, Kumar was appointed as Member (Staff) in the Board which is not seen a coveted posting in railway power circles, they said. The sources alleged Kumar had approched Goyal for managing him the additional charge of General Manager, Western Railway and Signal and Telecommunication till he is appointed as Member (Electrical) which is considered the second most powerful post after the Board Chairman. Goyal allegedly demanded Rs two crore as bribe immediately for this intermin arrangement and said the balance of Rs 10 crore for his appointment to the post of Member (Electrical) may be paid later, they said. CBI alleged Kumar had approached Managing Director of Bangalore-based GG Tronics India Pvt Ltd Narayan Rao Manjunath and other businessmen and industrialists dealing with the railway work for making payment in return for the promised favours from him, the sources said. Manjunath could only arrange Rs 90 lakh of the promised Rs two crore, which he passed on to Goyal and Singla through delivery persons arranged by his Delhi-based confidante. CBI arrested the four accused for their alleged roles in the bribe case in which a deal of Rs 10 crore was finalised between them for fixing a top level position in the Railway Board. Seeking five-day custody of the accused, CBI prosecutor Akshay Gautam said it had received information that one accused Narain Rao Manjunath, Managing Director of G G Tronics India Pvt Ltd, was in regular contact with accused Mahesh Kumar who was trying to get himself appointed to a more lucrative post in Railway Board as Member (Electrical). Mahesh Kumar, who was GM (West) Railways, had been promoted as Member (Staff) in Railway Board and he was trying to get himself posted as Member (Electrical) in Railway Board, it said. It said Manjunath and Mahesh Kumar were also in regular touch with businessman Goyal for this purpose. Goyal had assured Mahesh Kumar that he will get him posted as Member (Electrical) in Railway Board in lieu of "pecuniary gratification." PTI