Ordinance scam: CBI seeks blacklisting of 6 firms

The Central Bureau of Investaigation has asked the defence ministry to blacklist six firms, including four international ones, for their alleged involvement in the Ordnance Factory Board scam.

Official sources said the names of four international companies --  Singapore Technologies Kinetics, Israel Military Industries Ltd, Rheinmetall Air Defence, Zurich, and Cooperation Defence, Russia -- are mentioned in the letter by the CBI to the Defence Ministry.

Besides, two Indian firms -- T S Kisan and companies Pvt Ltd (New Delhi) and R K Machines Tools Ltd (Ludhiana) -- have also been named in the CBI communique to the MoD sent earlier this week, they said.

The action came after agency sleuths investigating the case found alleged involvement of these firms in the scandal.

The agency had on June 30 filed a 2,700-page chargesheet in a special CBI court, Kolkata, against former Director General of Ordnance factory Board, Sudipta Ghosh and 11 others for graft.

A case was registered by CBI on May 17, 2009 under different Sections of IPC and Prevention of the Corruption Act against Ghosh and others.

It was alleged that Ghosh had entered into criminal conspiracy with other accused with the object of demanding and obtaining huge illegal gratification in the matter of various supply orders placed by Ordnance Factory Board and also in the matters relating to transfer or posting of the officers of Ordnance Factories.

Following registration of case and subsequent probe, the CBI had arrested Ghosh and others.

"During searches conducted by CBI, cash amounting to approximately Rs 1.41 crore was seized from the residences and bank lockers of the former DG and his wife. Another Rs 1.14 crore was recovered from the premises of other accused persons," CBI spokesperson Harsh Bhal had said.

The chargesheet has named Ghosh and his wife Kajal Ghosh, Ramesh Nambiar, then additional GM (Sports) Air India, J K Thapar, director of T S Kishan and Companies Private Ltd, Satish Mahajan, director and Sunil Handa, manager of R K Machines Tools Ltd, Ludhiana.

Former statistical investigator of National Sample Survey Organisation, J K Grover, two private firms T S Kisan & Company Private Limited, New Delhi and R K Machines Tool Limited, Ludhiana, chairman of Mokul Group of Companies Mohinder Singh Sahni and two private persons --  Ashish Bose and Pradeep Rana -- were also named in the charge sheet.

The matter will be heard on July 31 by a Kolkata court.

According to CBI, the modus operandi of Ghosh was that he used to habitually negotiate bribes with domestic and foreign suppliers of defence equipment to the Ordnance factories through his conduit (Ashish Bose).

Three separate cases were also registered by CBI against Ghosh, Nambiar and Grover for possessing assets disproportionate to their known sources of income.