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CBI files charge sheet against former Secretary of Space and ED of Antrix Corporation

Newsroom24x7 Staff

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation today filed a chargesheet in the Court of Special Judge, CBI cases at the Patiala House Courts in the capital against G Madhavan Nair, ex-Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, ISRO & Antrix, K. R. Sridhara Murthi, former Executive Director of Antrix Corporation Ltd, the then Managing Director of USA based company and President & CEO of a Bangalore based Private Multimedia Company; three of its ex-Directors, and then Additional Secretary, Department of Space; then Director, SCPO, ISRO under Section 120-B r/w 420 of IPC and Section 13(2) read with 13(1)(d) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 & substantive offences for allegedly being party to a criminal conspiracy with an intent to cause undue gain to themselves or others by abusing official positions (by public servants) and causing loss to Antrix Corporation Ltd and ISRO by lease of INSAT Transponders capacity on GSAT 6 & 6A satellites to the accused Bangalore based Private Multimedia Company.

A case was registered on 16 March 2015 against the then Executive Director, Antrix Corporation Limited, Bengaluru; two Advisors of USA-based company; Bengaluru based private multi media company and other unknown officials of Antrix Corporation Limited /Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)/Department of Space (DoS). It was alleged that during the period from 2004 to 2011 then Executive Director Antrix Corporation Ltd in criminal conspiracy with both Advisors of USA based company and others gave rights for delivery of Video, Multimedia and Information Services to Mobile receivers in vehicles & mobile phones via S-Band through GSAT-6 & GSAT-6A Satellites and Terrestrial systems in India, to ineligible company based at Bangalore in violation of the laid down guidelines pertaining to leasing of INSAT capacity. Consequently, alleged loss of Rs. 578 crore was caused to Government Exchequer.

Further investigation is continuing regarding issues of demand of S-Band frequencies by other users including Ministry of Defence for strategic purpose & DoT; DVB-SH Technology developed by ETSI and the affairs of USA based company, FDI received and funds transferred from the accounts of Bangalore based private company into the foreign accounts and offences under criminal breach of trust by public servants.

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Shivani Bhardwaj is Editor Newsroom24x7.com. She has more than a decade of experience as a journalist. She is also an expert on legal matters relating to Petroleum & Energy, Infrastructure, Mergers and Acquisitions, Project Development, Contracts, Corporate Dispute Resolution, Arbitration and Court related proceedings. She has a Masters Degree in Energy Laws from the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun and a Bachelor in Law from the National Law Institute University, Bhopal. Acclaimed journalist Lalit Shastri is the founder of Newsroom24x7. He is is an Indian journalist, columnist, wildlife film maker and environmentalist. He has headed the Madhya Pradesh Bureau of The Hindu and The Asian Age - two of India's leading English newspapers - for nearly 25 years. He had quit a corporate job to investigate the causes leading to the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster. He also covered extensively from ground zero for The Hindu, the riots that followed the demolition of the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya and repeated attacks by Naxalite-Maoists in the Central Indian States of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

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