New Delhi, Aug 10: Petroleum minister Ram Naik today denied having pressurised retired judges heading the Dealer Selection Boards (DSBS) to make allotments of petrol pumps and gas agencies to any particular person but admitted things could have gone wrong down the line.
"I have not spoken to any (of the judges)... I did not intervene in the selection process," he said in the "big fight" programme of Star TV when asked about the reported allegations made by five sacked DSB chairman that he pressurised them.
The DSBS, 59 in all, were headed by retired High Court or sessions judge and they made allotments of petrol pumps and gas agencies without any interference from the petroleum ministry, he said.
"Neither I nor anyone in the petroleum ministry had anything to do with the selection process. Whatever they (DSBS) did was on the basis of interviews," Naik said while emphatically stating that he had tried to improve the system of allotments during his two-and-half year tenure.
Naik, however, did not take responsibility of the controversy of favouritism in allotments, which had promoted Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to cancel over 3700 petrol pumps, gas agencies and kerosene dealerships awarded since January 2000.

"All I can say is that the system could have been misused down below," he said.
The other panalist on the show, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal and Shekhar Gupta of Indian Express alleged direct involvement of the petroleum ministry in deciding allotment of petrol pumps and gas agencies.

Bureau Report