CBI Arrests GAIL Director In Bribery Case

Table of Contents

What has happened?

A day after conducting searches, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) Director (Marketing) ES Ranganathan,
In connection with an alleged corruption case, officials said.

The CBI recovered Rs 1.30 crore in cash on Saturday after conducting searches on the premises of the GAIL director.
Sources said valuables in the form of gold and silver have also been recovered from the premises of ES Ranganathan.
The searches were conducted after the federal probe agency filed an FIR against ES Ranganathan and others on allegations of corruption.
The CBI has arrested six persons so far in this case.

According to the FIR, the CBI received information that Ranganathan was indulging in corrupt and illegal activities,
In criminal conspiracy with private person Pawan Gaur and Rajesh Kumar, Director of New Delhi-based Rishab Polychem.
Pawan and Rajesh were allegedly acting as middleman and obtaining bribes from the private companies who trade in petro-chemical products marketed by GAIL.
“Source further informed that at the direction of Rajesh Kumar, Pawan Gaur had asked ES Ranganathan for allowing some discount to the buyers on petro-chemical products being marketed by GAIL in lieu of illegal gratification,” read the FIR.
Rajesh Kumar and Pawan Gaur met Ranganathan at his Noida residence on December 11, 2021.
Two days later, Pawan allegedly informed Rajesh Kumar that the proposed matter of discount was being considered at GAIL.

“On December 17, 2021, Rajesh collected the demanded bribe amount from beneficiary private parties and delivered it to Pawan Gaur for ES Ranganathan.
Source has further informed that on December 18, 2021, on the direction of ES Ranganathan, N Ramakrishnan Nair (resident of Gurgaon) collected an amount of Rs 40 lakh from the residence of Pawan Gaur,” added the FIR.

The CBI also received information about bribe being paid to the ES Ranganathan on behalf of a Delhi-based private firm.
The CBI officials laid a trap and apprehended a private person and a director of a Delhi-based private company when the alleged bribe of Rs 10 lakh was being received by a person on behalf of Ranganathan.

The CBI has filed an FIR naming ES Ranganathan, Pawan Gaur, Rajesh Kumar, N Ramakrishnan Nair, Saurabh Gupta of United Polymer Industries, Aditya Bansal of Bansal Agencies and both the private firms.
All the named accused were searched on Saturday and six have been arrested, including Ranganathan.

GAIL (India) Limited (formerly known as Gas Authority of India Ltd.) is a government owned natural gas corporation responsible for natural gas processing and distribution in India headquartered in GAIL Bhawan New Delhi, India.
It is under the ownership of Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India.
GAIL was conferred with the Maharatna status on 1 Feb 2013, by the Government of India.

GAIL, the Largest Natural Gas Company of India, owns and operates a network of around 13,722 km of natural gas pipeline and Currently executing around 6,000 km of pipeline projects of its own and about 2,000 km through two JVs, as part of the National Gas Grid.