While the CBI has not found evidence for criminal prosecution, it has emerged that one of the two officers had faced another CBI inquiry over corruption allegations a few years ago
New Delhi: The CBI has been asked by the Defence Ministry to probe complaints against two serving Major Generals for allegedly having assets disproportionate to their known sources of income. The Ministry had red-flagged the promotion of certain officers in September last year following allegations of impropriety.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has intervened in the matter. Pic/PTI
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“The Defence Ministry has forwarded to CBI complaints against these two officers and has sought a reply,” defence sources said yesterday, adding that the government will not tolerate corruption at any level. The CBI will now look into the complaints and report back to the Ministry.
Giving a background to the case, sources said that a meeting of the Special Promotion Board of the Army was held last year to fill up the vacancy of three Lieutenant Generals for which about 33 officers were considered. A set of names cleared by the Board was sent to the Defence Ministry. However, following the meeting of the Board, a series of complaints against some officers surfaced, many of which were being circulated on the social media too.
Parrikar intervenes
Taking cognisance of the matter, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar himself looked into the issue. It was found that one of the two officers, against whom the Ministry has roped in the agency, had faced a CBI inquiry few years back over allegations of corruption in a project undertaken by Border Roads Organisation, sources said.
The CBI did not find enough evidence for criminal prosecution. “They suggested that this does not fall in the ambit of criminality, it falls in the ambit of disciplinary procedure guidelines”, the sources said, adding the actual proceedings have not started.
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