CBI Spl judge convicts top executives of BHEL

Chennai, Sep 8 (UNI) The Special Judge for CBI cases, Madurai, today convicted four persons, including three top executives of the public sector Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) Tiruchirapalli, for criminal conspiracy to cheat BHEL by awarding a contract for construction of a desalination plant in Ramanthapuram district of Tamil Nadu.

A PIB press release said here tonight the judge sentenced A Srinivasalu, former Executive Director of BHEL, Tiruchirapalli, to undergo three years rigorious imprisonment and to pay a fine of Rs 2000, while his colleagues R Thiyagarajan, Assistant General Manager BHEL, and Chandrasekaran Senior Manager BHEL were sentenced to undergo two years rigorious imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1000 each.

The judge also convicted N Raghunathan, a private individual to undergo one year rigorious imprisonment and slapped a fine of Rs 1000 on him.

However, the judge acquitted R Krishna Rao, General Manager BHEL, who was cited as accused no 2 in the case, from the charges against him.

The anti-corruption branch of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Chennai, which investigated the case submitted that Mr Srinivasalu (A-1) R Thiyagarajan, Chandrasekar, Mohan Ramnath, and N R N Ayyar entered into a criminal conspiracy in 1991-1994, in which Mr Srinivasalu invited limited tenders violating the procedure and also entertained the tenders of fictitious firms floated by Mr Mohan Ramanthan with the knowledge of Mr Srinivasalu.

The CBI also submitted that the accused awarded the contract to M/s Entoma Hydro Systems, a firm floated by Mohan Ramnath despite not having the requisite experience or technical competence to execute the work. The accused also sanctioned an interest free mobilisation advance of Rs 4.32 crore to the firm violating the rules, the release said.

During the trial, Mohan Ramanthan and another accused N R N Ayyar expired, it added.

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