The CBI has opened an investigation against a former Prasar Bharati official and other unknown persons in relation to alleged submission of fraudulent bills for accommodation and travelling allowance (TA).

The probe against the assistant director (programme) of Prasar Bharati and others comes on the directions of the Lokpal.

The Lokpal judgement

According to Lokpal judgment in January, it was alleged in a complaint received by them that “the accused public servant had conducted several domestic, foreign tours, submitted fake hotel bills and TA bills and had claimed an amount which is in excess of the actual amount spent by him. Details of the alleged fake bills as well as the actual bills during his tour to Delhi from Doordarshan Kendra (DDK), Pune, for the period July 2016 to June 2017, had been submitted in the complaint. During this period, he was on official tours for 301 days during the calendar year January to December 2016 and for 331 days in the calendar year January to December 2017.”

“During his tours to Delhi from DDK Pune for the said period, he claimed fake transport charges of several hundred rupees per day and also submitted fake food bills against his TA/DA claims. He claimed many bogus TA bills from Doordarshan Headquarters, New Delhi, and Doordarshan Kendra, Mumbai. He went on many foreign tours for the coverage of sports events in which several irregularities such as claiming of double TA/DA and taking unauthorized detours, took place,” the judgment stated.

The public servant in a submission given to the Lokpal in September last year had denied that fake bills were submitted and said the complaint was a malicious attempt to spoil his reputation.

“Considering the totality of the facts and circumstances of the case, the entire material on record, the preliminary inquiry report, the pleadings and comments of the public servant and the views of the competent authority, we are of the considered view that the allegations substantiated by the preliminary inquiry report regarding submission of fake and fraudulent bills for accommodation and TA by the concerned respondent public servant are serious enough to direct an investigation into the matter. Accordingly, we assign the matter to the CBI, to carry out an investigation as expeditiously as possible and complete the same within six months from the receipt of this order, with intimation to the Lokpal of India,” the judgment further stated.