August 08, 2005 (The Hindu)

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is poised to probe 24 cases relating to defence procurement by the previous National Democratic Alliance after the Defence Ministry submitted all the relevant documents, said official sources.

The cases include 12 out of 13 references to procurements made in the Tehelka tapes and 12 of the 24 relating to purchases made during the Kargil conflict (Operation Vijay). The agency has already registered a case against the South African armaments company Denel.

The CBI had put on hold investigations in the cases referred to it by the Defence Ministry on grounds of insufficient material. Its officials had called for submission of all the files or "self contained allegations'' as they contended the CBI would not be able to conduct probes on the basis of audit objections made by the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India and a short note on each of the cases prepared by the Defence Ministry. The CBI will now study the files and then decide on the manner of investigations, added the official sources.

The 37 cases were referred to the CBI after the Phukan Commission on Tehelka tapes had submitted its report. The CBI has already registered five cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act and other sections against persons figuring in the Tehelka tapes.

According to sources, some of the Tehelka cases in which the CBI will be able to proceed relate to procurements of hand held thermal imagers, guided ammunition (Krasnapol), armoured recovery vehicle, T-90s tank and upgunning of 130 mm M-46 field gun to 155 mm calibre.

Other cases referred by the Defence Ministry to the CBI were purchase of automatic grenade launchers, bulletproof jackets, multi-purpose boots, charging/generating sets, sleeping bags, surveillance radars and sniper rifles worth about over Rs. 200 crores.