Manohar Parrikar had to intervene to sort out a transfer case of a DRDO technician, after 2 BJP leaders took differing sides in the marital row, reports Manu Pubby.
Caught in Tussle Between BJP Leaders, Parrikar Walks Tightrope on Transfer
Manu Pubby, New Delhi:
SORTING OUT A TRANSFER CASE It appears to be a long-standing marital dispute Minister finds time after surgical strikes to counsel DRDO technician
Defence minister Manohar Parrikar had to find time out of a busy schedule just two days after the surgical strikes into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to sort out a transfer case involving a junior technician, after two BJP leaders took differing sides in what appears to be a long-standing marital dispute.
Parrikar, who was in Dehradun on October 1, met the junior technician -Subodh Kumar -who works with the Defence Research and Development Organisation at the Jolly Grant airport, counselling him to take up the transfer.
The reason for the defence minister to get involved is a tussle between two BJP leaders.
While one side has been in touch with the defence ministry to post Kumar out from Dehradun to Kanpur, the other side has sent representations to Parrikar to stall the transfer, citing ill health of his parents and the condition of his disabled brother.
Former Uttarakhand chief minister and Member of Parliament Ramesh Pokhriyal `Nishank’ wrote to Parrikar in September, asking him to stall the posting on the request of Kumar’s parents.On the other side is the BJP’s rep resentative from Saharanpur, Raghav Lakhanpal, who Kumar says has been in touch with the ministry to get him posted out.
“There has been pressure from Mr Lakhanpal who is known to my wife’s family to get me posted out. But my side of the story was never heard, I was asked to report to Kanpur with an assurance that I will be posted back soon,“ Subodh Kumar told ET.
The defence ministry did not respond to a detailed questionnaire sent by ET and despite repeated efforts Raghav Lakhanpal did not offer any comments. Letters and meeting records accessed by ET reveal that Manohar Parrikar is walking a tightrope in the case.On her part, the wife has alleged in her representation to the ministry that Kumar was abusive and was troubling her for the past year.
The defence ministry is taking stock of the situation at Landour cantonment, Mussoorie, after a complaint by a serving officer alleged wrongdoing.
By Manu Pubby, ET Bureau | Jul 29, 2016, NEW DELHI: The defence ministry is taking stock of the situation at Landour cantonment, Mussoorie, after a complaint by a serving officer alleged wrongdoing related to several prime properties at the hill station that he said may prove to be “bigger than the Adarsh Housing scam“.
Even as the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), which received a complaint by the estate officer of a DRDO lab located in Landour alleging a scam, moved on the matter, asking for comments from all concerned departments, sources told ET that senior defence ministry officials are tackling the issue.
As part of a fact finding mission, a senior official of the department of defence estates visited Landour after an ET story that revealed that cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar met defence minister Manohar Parrikar regarding a property dispute over a holiday retreat.
Separately, a complaint by DRDO officer Y Ashok Babu had red flagged several commercial establishments (hotels) running in Landour allegedly without permissions, posing a security threat and eroding green cover, as reported by ET.
Sources said that the cantonment board is likely to send notices to several properties located at Landour, including some owned or being run by Tendulkar’s aide, businessman Sanjay Narang.
Also, a change of stance is unlikely on ‘Dahlia Bank’, a hill mansion owned by Narang which is at the center of a property dispute with the cantonment board and DRDO establishment Institute of Technology Management.
Tendulkar, who frequently stays at the mansion, met Parrikar with regard to this dispute.
Narang has denied allegations of wrongdoing, while Tendulkar said that he went for the meeting but denied any economic interests in Landour. In the complaint sent by Babu, a Scientist D posted at ITM in charge of works and estate, to the central bureau of investigation (CBI) and the CVC, allegations of “Illegal high investment commercial activities” have been levelled. These are against a dozen properties, including `Dahlia Bank’ that is owned by Tendulkar’s aide Sanjay Narang.
ET Bureau | Jul 19, 2016 DELHI: Cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar had sought Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s help to rescue a plush holiday retreat he frequents in Landour, Mussoorie, from a security dispute with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Such was the urgency of the matter that Tendulkar, a Rajya Sabha member, even cut short a trip to Australia last year just to meet Parrikar with this request, senior defence ministry officials familiar with the matter told ET.
The property in question is his famed summer den Dahlia Bank in the Landour cantonment area that has allegedly breached the 50-foot, no-construction zone next to the Institute of Technology Management, a sensitive DRDO establishment.
The home is partly owned by Tendulkar’s business partner Sanjay Narang. Parrikar is believed to have given a “patient hearing” to the Indian batting legend but desisted from making any intervention in the issue.
South Block officials told ET that the defence minister was unwilling to do so in a matter involving alleged illegal construction next to a sensitive DRDO laboratory complex.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar didn’t intervene
“Tendulkar had been trying to meet the minister and an appointment was set up. He spoke at length about the property case, which was heard out. However, no action was taken on the request put forward,” a senior official told ET.
Tendulkar didn’t respond to ET’s questions on the matter. The defence ministry declined to issue a formal comment on the issue.
The institute’s version is that Narang had obtained permissions to build tennis courts in what is called the ‘restricted construction zone’ around the establishment but instead went on to construct full-fledged buildings.
Narang did not respond to questions sent by ET but his representative, who did not want to be named, claimed that the area in dispute fell outside the zone. She further alleged that the DRDO institute had taken a “faulty stand” and had made “wrong interpretations”.
The hotelier owns several properties in and around the Landour cantonment area that has emerged as a highend tourist destination near Mussoorie.
However, these building activities have attracted controversy with a complaint on “illegal high-investment commercial activities” reaching the Central Vigilance Commission and Central Bureau of Investigation last month
NEW DELHI: Cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar had sought Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s help to rescue a plush holiday retreat he frequents in Landour, Mussoorie, from a security dispute with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Such was the urgency of the matter that Tendulkar, a Rajya Sabha member, even cut short a trip to Australia last year just to meet Parrikar with this request, senior defence ministry officials familiar with the matter told ET.
The property in question is his famed summer den Dahlia Bank in the Landour cantonment area that has allegedly breached the 50-foot, no-construction zone next to the Institute of Technology Management, a sensitive DRDO establishment.
The home is partly owned by Tendulkar’s business partner Sanjay Narang. Parrikar is believed to have given a “patient hearing” to the Indian batting legend but desisted from making any intervention in the issue.
South Block officials told ET that the defence minister was unwilling to do so in a matter involving alleged illegal construction next to a sensitive DRDO laboratory complex..
The nstituite’s version is that Narang had obtained permissions to build tennis courts in what is called the ‘restricted construction zone’ around the establishment but instead went on to construct full-fledged buildings.
Narang did not respond to questions sent by ET but his representative, who did not want to be named, claimed that the area in dispute fell outside the zone. She further alleged that the DRDO institute had taken a “faulty stand” and had made “wrong interpretations”.
The hotelier owns several properties in and around the Landour cantonment area that has emerged as a high end tourist destination near Mussoorie.
However, these building activities have attracted controversy with a complaint on “illegal high-investment commercial activities” reaching the Central Vigilance Commission and Central Bureau of Investigation last month.
By MEERA MOHANTY & Manu Pubby, ET Bureau | 11 May, 2015, 07.04AM IST
NEW DELHI: Terrorists, irrespective of wherever they may be operating from, should be neutralised using all types of methods, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar told ET in an exclusive interview. He elaborated that “neutralisation” doesn’t necessarily mean killing terrorists but making them “ineffective.”
Parrikar also criticised ex-BJP minister Arun Shourie, saying the latter “does not have the full brief on what is happening”. Shourie had recently said the Narendra Modi government was faltering on policymaking and delivery.
Responding to a question on how India should deal with terrorists in foreign territory, the defence minister said: “A terrorist has to be neutralised-…Certain issues cannot be discussed but I feel that for any enemy of the country, all types of methods should be used to neutralise them.”
“Neutralising does not mean just killing…it means any method that makes them non-functional – get him to jail or to make him ineffective in any manner,” Parrikar added.
In his wide-ranging interaction with ET covering several key policy areas, Parrikar also set out the exact figure on India’s manufacturing share of the Rafale fighter jet project – France will need to spend 50% of the contract value, almost four billion dollars, as investments in the Indian defence and aerospace sector. The minister said the Rafale jet project will “unleash Make-in- India”.
Parrikar also said that with India buying around 36 Rafale jets for now, government savings on this project is likely to be up Rs 60,000-65,000 crore. This money, Parrikar said, will be used to accelerate defence manufacturing in India, including speeding up the long-ingestation Light Combat Aircraft. The minister said LCA will be inducted in large numbers, up to 200 fighters or 10 squadrons.
Parrikar linked low levels infiltration from Pakistan and fewer incidents of cross-border firing this year to Indian forces’ strong retaliation to “misadventures”.
Acknowledgingthat defence forces face an issue on resources, the minister said all three wings, army, air force and navy, must prioritise spending. All three wings have been asked to make a list of must-have items, Parrikar said. He said Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) would have a new head by May 24.
DRDO will also have a separate Scientific Advisor, who will be attached to the ministry for independent advice. Parrikar said for important projects he will form consortiums of all stakeholders from the government system, it won’t be just DRDO taking all the critical decisions.If the army has to operate in the Jammu & Kashmir, it needs AFSPA: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar
By Manu Pubby & MEERA MOHANTY, ET Bureau | 11 May, 2015, 03.20AM IST
In an interview with ET, Parrikar spoke on alleged Mumbai attack mastermind Lakhvi, changes in defence procurement and PM Modi’s detractors.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar opened up to ET on a range of issues — from modernisation of the armed forces to reforms and policy changes. In an interview with ET, Parrikar spoke on alleged Mumbai attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, changes in defence procurement, and PM Narendra Modi’s detractors.
Do the forces have enough money to modernise? There have been voices of a fund crunch from the three armed forces and some concerns in terms of low spending on the military.
As a percentage of total expenditure of the government of India, the spending on defence has gone up from 12.2% two years back to 13.8% this year. I think that the wise use of money is more important than just having more amount of spending on defence. I am working on it and that is why I have been asking the forces for their priorities. On the Rafale deal, for example, we are ordering just 36. If we had ordered 126, it would have been 3.75 times the cost. Yes, there are money issues but spending more effectively is more important.
What are the next steps in the Rafale deal and how will it be linked to the Made in India concept?
The basic message is that the Rafale deal has been restricted in number. By doing this, we will free about Rs 60,000-65,000 crore – money which will be used for Make in India. Even in the Rafale deal, we will have 50% offsets. So this will take care of partial Make in India. But more than that, we now have money released for activities that can be carried out in improving and speeding up the LCA (Light Combat Aircraft). We can have 10-12 squadrons as MiG 21 replacements.
The army says infiltration has come down on the Line of Control but there are indications that the international border controlled by the BSF has seen more activity. What do you attribute this to?
The IB comes under the home ministry so I cannot comment on it but in the last 2-3 months things have been calm. There was some cross-border firing in October-January but that has come down. You cannot stop someone else from doing something but when there was a proper retaliation, the resolve was clearly indicated through our reaction to their misadventure. As of now (firing) has come to a substantial low level. On the army border (LoC), the firing is way down because of stricter action that has been planned.
How do you deal with a terrorist like Lakhvi who operates from across the border?
A terrorist has to be neutralised. I am not using the word for a “suspected terrorist” but for someone we know is a terrorist. Any terrorist who has acted against the interests of this country has to be brought to book, or, if he uses violent methods, should be neutralised. Certain issues cannot be discussed but I feel that for any enemy of the country, all types of methods should be used to neutralise them. Neutralise does not mean just killing, it means any method that makes them nonfunctional — get him to jail or to make him ineffective in any manner.
How is the ministry tackling issues of defence reforms, like the appointment of a new Chief of Defence Staff and the revamping of DRDO (Defence Research & Development Organisation)?
On a joint chief, we will take a view in May-June. Forward movements will be after two months. Let the DRDO chief come in (by May 25) — a lot of things will depend on that. Also, immediately a scientific advisor will also be appointed. In the meanwhile, reforms are being worked out. For example, we are forming a missile team with DRDO, air force, army and navy representatives that will go into the full ecosystem of missile requirements — what we require, how many we require and whether we can work out improvements will be discussed. We will do a similar system for helicopters and artillery.
On Make in India, there are several projects, from artillery guns to aircraft, being discussed. Do we have the resources and right policy for these to go through?
The financial provision will be taken care of. Make in India has nothing to do with finance but to do with making in India rather than importing. We are revamping the defence procurement procedure and have formed a committee on this under Dhirendra Singh, former home secretary, and seven-eight others. By June, it should be on board.
What are your views on the necessity of AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) in J&K?
To continue or not with AFSPA in J&K is a decision of the home ministry…I will not express my views on it, but if the army has to operate in the area, it needs AFSPA. It is a necessity of operations and an operator cannot do without it.
PM Modi and his policies have recently come under attack from several from the BJP, including Arun Shourie.
An attack on Modi is nothing new. People always attack those who are important in the government. As far as Shourie is concerned, he does not have the full brief of what is happening. It is a nation of 125 cr people and getting results is not an easy task.
Readers’ opinions Madhu Asramam (kuwait) 36 Minutes ago If present defence minister is able to change the so called white elephant of DRDO in to an institution which can meet the challenge of delivering most sophisticated weapons to Indian defence forces-things are to be unpredictable. But it is not sure when it will be achievable.
Lands in hot water with DAE bosses for writing to PM
He wrote to the prime minister, tried to do good for a critical national project, and now he’s in trouble.
One of India’s senior nuclear scientists, Pashupati Rao, who works at Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC), run by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), is now battling his employer for having written to the prime minister offering suggestions on streamlining the setting up of a new nuclear facility at Kota, Rajasthan. DAE comes under the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
ET has reviewed the relevant correspondence between the PMO, DAE and the scientist. The PMO didn’t respond to ET’s queries on this matter.Rao did not participate in this story.DAE responded to ET’s questions. On September 28, 2014, Rao sent his suggestions to PM’s official portal (pmindia.gov.in), which invites citizens to share ideas as well as to write to the Prime Minister.
But although Rao had communicated sensitive matters on the new nuclear complex, the PMO had sent them to Rao’s employer, DAE, marking them as `grievance’, and it sent a mail to Rao on January 21 this year, saying his `grievance’ has been disposed. The PMO’s communication to Rao’s employers had also given the name and designation of the scientist, thus making his full identity known to his superiors.
This started a process of DAE relentlessly asking for explanations from the scientist and the latter desperately seeking to explain himself. Some DAE officials who did not want to be identified told ET that Rao may face serious consequences.
Prominent whistleblower Prabhu Dandriyal, who some years ago had claimed to have exposed corruption in Defence Research & Development Organisation, filed a Right to Information application on January 27 this year with the PMO on Rao’s matter.
Dandriyal had asked what guidelines the PMO follows when dealing with `sensitive’ communication from government officials. He said the PMO reply that came a month later, on February 27, said the request is being processed, and de tails are being collected.
Rao’s suggestions sent to the prime minister on the Kota project contained, apart from technical details on cutting costs, a proposal that an independent team be appointed to review the project.
BUREAUCRATIC NIGHTMARE
But the PMO sending his suggestions as `grievance’ to DAE has put the top nuclear scientist in a bureaucratic nightmare.The PMO’s communications were sent to NFC, Hyderabad, where Rao worked, and his superiors have turned the matter into `staff grievance’ and have been seeking explanations from Rao.
In a series of communications, Rao tried to explain that he did not have any personal grievance.
“I am a successful officer and I have been awarded with DAE group achievement award for indigenisation associated work. My feedback given to the PMO which is converted as my grievance is not aimed at any individual,“ the scientist wrote in one of his attempts to explain himself. However, DAE has not relented and on February 10, Rao received a letter from the Grievance Redressal Committee that reminded him his job was limited to helping in the maintenance of NFC.
“As an organisation, we will follow the process. As he is a staff member, it is being treated as a staff grievance and is being looked into,“ S Goverdhan Rao, deputy chief executive of NFC, told ET.
Dandriyal, who’s still awaiting a full reply from PMO, said, “It will be very difficult for people from the system to come out and expose corruption and inefficiency if there is no mechanism to protect them.“
By ET Bureau | 13 Mar, 2015, 04.00AM IST By Manu Pubby
NEW DELHI: He wrote to the prime minister, tried to do good for a critical national project, and now he’s in trouble. One of India’s senior nuclear scientists, Pashupati Rao, who works at Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC), run by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), is now battling his employer for having written to the prime minister offering suggestions on streamlining the setting up of a new nuclear facility at Kota, Rajasthan. DAE comes under the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
ET has reviewed the relevant correspondence between the PMO, DAE and the scientist. The PMO didn’t respond to ET’s queries on this matter. Rao did not participate in this story. DAE responded to ET’s questions.
On September 28, 2014, Rao sent his suggestions to PM’s official portal (pmindia. gov.in), which invites citizens to share ideas as well as to write to the Prime Minister.
But although Rao had communicated sensitive matters on the new nuclear complex, the PMO had sent them to Rao’s employer, DAE, marking them as ‘grievance’, and it sent a mail to Rao on January 21 this year, saying his ‘grievance’ has been disposed.
The PMO’s communication to Rao’s employers had also given the name and designation of the scientist, thus making his full identity known to his superiors. This started a process of DAE relentlessly asking for explanations from the scientist and the latter desperately seeking to explain himself. Some DAE officials who did not want to be identified told ET that Rao may face serious consequences.
Prominent whistleblower Prabhu Dandriyal, who some years ago had claimed to have exposed corruption in Defence Research & Development Organisation, filed a Right to Information application on January 27 this year with the PMO on Rao’s matter.
Dandriyal had asked what guidelines the PMO follows when dealing with ‘sensitive’ communication from government officials. He said the PMO reply that came a month later, on February 27, said the request is being processed, and details are being collected. Rao’s suggestions sent to the prime minister on the Kota project contained, apart from technical details on cutting costs, a proposal that an independent team be appointed to review the project.
BUREAUCRATIC NIGHTMARE
But the PMO sending his suggestions as ‘grievance’ to DAE has put the top nuclear scientist in a bureaucratic nightmare.
The PMO’s communications were sent to NFC, Hyderabad, where Rao worked, and his superiors have turned the matter into staff grievance’ and have been seeking explanations from Rao. In a series of communications, Rao tried to explain that he did not have any personal grievance.
“I am a successful officer and I have been awarded with DAE group achievement award for indigenisation associated work. My feedback given to the PMO which is converted as my grievance is not aimed at any individual,” the scientist wrote in one of his attempts to explain himself. However, DAE has not relented and on February 10, Rao received a letter from the Grievance Redressal Committee that reminded him his job was limited to helping in the maintenance of NFC.
“As an organisation, we will follow the process. As he is a staff member, it is being treated as a staff grievance and is being looked into,” S Goverdhan Rao, deputy chief executive of NFC, told ET.
Dandriyal, who’s still awaiting a full reply from PMO, said, “It will be very difficult for people from the system to come out and expose corruption and inefficiency if there is no mechanism to protect them.”
NEW DELHI: In a message to the Defence Research Development Organisation that has over a dozen scientists working on tenures beyond 60, the government has frowned at the tendency of giving extensions to scientists without consulting the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is said to be unhappy with DRDO’s functioning and had recently advocated that five out of the 52 DRDO labs be manned by young scientists after reports with the government revealed that as many as 358 scientists had quit DRDO between 2009 and 2013.
A government note sent on Friday to nine ministries and departments which have specialists in scientific or medical fields, including DRDO and Department of Space, the Department of Personnel and Training has said that the ACC headed by the prime minister has observed that in some cases, departments have unilaterally extended the service officers beyond the age of superannuation without obtaining the approval of ACC.
“It is reiterated that in absence of specific approval of ACC towards extension of services beyond the date of superannuation, an officer should stand retired on his date of superannuation and under no circumstances should the Ministry/Department extend his services beyond superannuation unilaterally without approval of ACC,” the note says. This also comes on the heels of the success of the Mars Orbiter Mission where Modi had praised scientists at ISRO for the feat.
In Friday’s note, the policy drawn up by the NDA government in 2002 was pointed to, which said that any tenure extensions to scientists should be “only in really exceptional circumstances” and only if the retiring specialist “is not just one of the outstanding officers but is really head and shoulders above the rest”.
That policy also said that too many cases of extensions are likely to cause “frustration and affect morale of upcoming scientists who have exposure to latest technological developments.” In 2012, DRDO admitted that 37 scientists — 12 of whom were in distinguished category — were on extended tenures. This was despite the Rama Rao Committee, which carried out the first external review of DRDO in 2008, calling for a younger profile of top scientists. DRDO secretary Avinash Chander is also working on an extension.
ET had reported on August 23 that Modi was not happy about this situation and had sought all details after he was told about the high attrition rate among younger scientists. Friday’s note also goes out to the departments of Atomic Energy, Science and Technology, Scientific and Industrial Research, Information Technology and Environment Ministry.
NEW DELHI: Defence minister AK Antony has asked investigation agencies to probe into charges levelled against Delhi-based businessman Abhishek Verma, by his former partner, accusing him of acting as a middleman in several defence deals and parking over $205 million in accounts in a bank in the US.
“I have asked the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate to investigate the allegations. The defence secretary has also been asked to take necessary action,” Antony said.
These allegations have been made by C Edmond Allen, head of a New York-based company called Ganton Limited, in a series of letters to Antony. His charges cover purported dealings between Ganton, which Allen – a non-practising attorney – said was incorporated in the US state of Delaware on Verma’s instructions, and major equipment suppliers to the Indian armed forces such as Rheinmettal, Augusta Westland, Hellenic Defence Systems and Hawker Beechcraft.
A top CBI official said the investigations were at a preliminary stage. “We are in touch with Allen and have asked him to submit the documents in original,” said the official. He also said the agency is coordinating with the Enforcement Directorate as there were allegations of large scale money laundering.
Verma, the son of former Congress leader Srikant Verma, is an accused in the naval war room leak case where several sensitive defence documents were stolen and allegedly leaked to Thales, the maker of Scorpene submarines.
He has denied all charges levelled against him by Allen, and said documents implicating him have been forged. Verma said he had received a notice from the Enforcement Directorate asking for an explanation for the money in the accounts but was unable to comment since the matter was sub judice.
“As several petitions filed by me against C Edmonds Allen are pending in various Indian and foreign courts and these cases are somehow connected to alleged foreign exchange violations in which trial is going on in India under FERA Act for ten years, it will not be possible for me to comment as matters are sub-judice,” he wrote.
According to Allen, the escrow accounts belong to Verma but he had the right to handle them as a result of agreements signed between the two in April 2000 and February 2004. Allen has alleged that the money in these accounts has been obtained through illegal means and that Verma has acted as a middleman in several defence deals. Verma, in turn, has issued legal notices to Allen to return the money and a case has been filed in a district court in New York, according to documents reviewed by ET.
Verma, the son of former senior Congress leader Srikant Verma and MP Veena Verma has business links with Jagdish Tytler, a Congress Working Committee member and the party’s Odisha in-charge. Tytler’s fashion designer son, Siddharth, is a founder shareholder in a company along with a former director of Ganton, Arjun Arora. Siddharth Tytler had also signed a joint venture agreement with Ganton India.
Confirming this Jagdish Tytler also told ET that he knew Verma as his parents were colleagues of his. He denied any knowledge of defence deals that Verma is alleged to be involved in.
Tytler also confirmed being an arbitrator in a dispute involving Ganton and another company over nearly hundred acre of land in Noida which belongs to the Yamuna Express Industrial Development Authority.
People close to Verma say that the allegations levelled against him were at Tytler’s behest, a charge that has been strongly denied by both Tytler and Allen. Allen, however, told ET in an email that Tytler and Verma were very close but had fallen out recently over the Noida land deal.
Allen has also alleged that Verma has often flaunted his links with several powerful politicians which has supposedly ensured that no enquiry is initiated against him. Allen also claims to posses several sensitive defence documents allegedly emailed to him by Verma which show his ‘easy access within the government’.
Corruption Charges
The letters to Antony paint a picture of labyrinthine corruption in defence deals with Verma allegedly at the centre. Some of the documents linked to the case, were publicly released by India Against Corruption (IAC) in late April, a group linked to activist Anna Hazare, after Allen sent the documents to lawyer Prashant Bhushan. In a blog posting in New York Times dated April 27, Allen was quoted as saying that he had approached it after Indian authorities showed no interest in his allegations.
In a letter to Antony dated March 28, 2012, Allen alleged that German firm, Rheinmetall AG, paid Ganton $530,000 to reverse its blacklisting by India’s defence ministry. The money was supposedly paid through the firm’s UBS account in Switzerland, according to bank statements of Ganton Limited, and an invoice generated by the company.
Emails sent by ET to Rheinmetall officials did not elicit a response.
Appeal to clean DRDO of corrupt and anti-national officials
While one side has been in touch with the defence ministry to post Kumar out from Dehradun to Kanpur, the other side has sent representations to Parrikar to stall the transfer, citing ill health of his parents and the condition of his disabled brother.
