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CBI chargesheets suspended DD official

In its chargesheet filed in the court of Special Judge R L Chugh, the agency also named Navin Kohli, director of Video Track India Pvt Ltd, Corum Communications Pvt Ltd and Third Channel Pvt Ltd, as accused in the case.

Both accused are on bail.

The court will consider the CBI chargesheet on May 29.

The filing of the chargesheet follows grant of sanction by the government, as required under Section 19(1)(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988.

The case was registered on August 10, 1999 on charges that Pahari had entered into a criminal conspiracy with Kohli and abused his official position as a public servant for showing undue favour to Kohli in the telecast of programmes produced by his firms.

In furtherance of the criminal conspiracy, Pahari allegedly gave business worth Rs 6-7 crore to Kohli by showing preferential treatment to his firms in official dealings and in lieu of this Kohli got a flat purchased at Charmswood village, Surajkund Road, Faridabad for Pahari, the CBI said.

According to the chargesheet, Kohli made a payment towards the part cost of that flat out of his own accounts and sources.

This is the second CBI chargesheet against Pahari. The agency has already filed a chargesheet against him and his wife Chitra in a disproportionate assets case, which is pending trial.

The case against Pahari was registered a day after the agency conducted search at the office and residential premises of Pahari and Kohli on August 11, 1999.

The CBI had claimed it recovered cash, besides a number of documents and papers showing huge assets acquired by the accused in the recent past.

The agency alleged that Pahari accepted pay orders worth Rs 4.13 lakh for making payments towards part cost of flat No E-6/212, Charmwood Village, Surajkund, Faridabad purchased in the name of M Pahari.

He also accepted pay orders of Rs 1.40 lakh for making payments for commercial flat No 203, South Extension Tower, 389 Masjid Moth here, purchased from Atree Developers Pvt Ltd in the name of Chitra Associates owned by his wife Chitra Pahari, the CBI alleged.

He accepted favours from Kohli and his companies knowing that Kohli and his companies were directly concerned in the business transacted with Doordarshan through him, the chargesheet alleged.

Pahari was transferred from Calcutta to the Doordarshan Kendra in Delhi in June 1993. As director, Doordarshan Kendra he was head of the department. He was promoted to deputy director general, Doordarshan Kendra, Delhi and again he was head of department, the chargesheet stated.

The CBI has sought to prosecute Pahari and Kohli under Section 120-B of IPC (criminal conspiracy) and various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

Meanwhile, K M Anees-ul-Haq, who was placed under suspension in 1999 following allegations of corruption, was reinstated as deputy director general of Doordarshan in the directorate.

He resumed duty at Mandi House, the headquarters of Doordarshan. After investigations, all corruption allegations against Haq were found baseless and false. Therefore, the government decided to revoke the suspension order with immediate effect.

Haq has served in various capacities in the organisation. He headed the Kashmir Channel for some time in the directorate and was also station director, Banglore Kendra.

He was also director of Doordarshan, Srinagar, at a most crucial period in the early 1990s, when militancy was at its peak in the valley.

Agencies

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