The CBI has filed a corruption case against Sushanta Mallick, a former staffer of the then Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Babul Supriyo, who quit BJP and joined Trinamool Congress a few months back.
Supriyo was the Heavy Industries Minister from July 2016 to May 2019.
Executives of Engineering Projects India Limited (EPIL), under the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, were involved in corruption along with the then staffer of Supriyo, according to the FIR.
The then executives of EPIL conspired and demanded Rs 50 lakh from Ashutosh Bandhopadhayay, for providing favour for the tenders awarded and being awarded by EPIL during the period 2016-2017.
“Verification has revealed that out of Rs 50 lakh, Rs 40 lakh were to be given to SPS Bakshi, the then CMD, EPIL and Rs 10 lakh were to be given to Harcharan Pal, the then Executive Director (Contracts) and Paritosh Kumar Praveen, the then Manager (Grade II), EPIL.
Verification has revealed that SPS Bakshi had got conveyed to Ashutosh Bandhopadhayay through RS Tyagi, the then DGM (contractual basis) that out of the bribe amount of Rs 40 lakh, Rs 5 lakh be transferred into the bank account of Sushanta Mallick, staff of the then Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises,” reads the FIR.
The accused have been booked under Indian Penal Code section relating to criminal conspiracy besides provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The agency registered the case on Saturday evening.
Supriyo promptly reacted to the development he knew that something of this type would come to him and asking why a case dating back to 2016-17 had to be dug up now. “I knew something of this type was coming for me because I had left the BJP … besides I have no idea as to why a case of 2016 was dug upnow … an FIR was lodged in 2021 and proceedings started in 2022,” the former Union Minister said. adding “though my name is not in the
charges somehow my name has been tagged with the case … this is intentional.” He also said that he knew Mallick who had been a PA of other Union Ministers too.
