Case registered against two officials of Agriculture Ministry in bribery case
New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a case against two senior officials of the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage (PPQS) in a bribery case.
The Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage is an agency of the Plant Protection Division of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India.
The accused mentioned in the FIR have been identified as Sanjay Arya, Joint Director (Plant Pathology), Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage (PPQS), Faridabad and Padam Singh, then Plant Protection Officer (PPO), Plant Quarantine, Visakhapatnam. ,
The FIR in the case states that Sanjay Arya conducted the investigation on a complaint lodged by Rajesh Acharya against Padam Singh, PPO, Plant Quarantine, Visakhapatnam.
In the complaint, Rajesh Acharya alleged that Padam Singh was demanding money from the exporters and threatening to close down the business if they did not listen to his interests.
During interrogation, Sanjay Arya visited Visakhapatnam in May 2022 and interrogated the complainant. It is learned that complainant Rajesh Acharya reiterated that Padam Singh was demanding money from exporters; Their applications regarding timely clearance of goods were not accepted, leading to delays in loading stocks onto ships and causing huge losses. The complaint states that the complainant had also sent emails to Sanjay Arya in May and June 2022, stating that Padam Singh was demanding appreciation certificates from him and was also not approving his applications.
It said, “After completion of the investigation, Sanjay Arya recommended closure of the complaint as no incriminating evidence was found in support of the allegations. After this, the case has been closed.”
Sources also revealed that Dr. Sanjay Arya has accepted Rs 2 lakh as undue favor on two occasions from Padam Singh through one Satish Singh for giving a favorable report in connection with the said investigation.
The matter is under investigation. More information is awaited.
