The Hindu : Minister's PA, others remanded

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, May 24, 2003

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Minister's PA, others remanded

By Our Staff Reporter

Photo: Sandeep Saxena

R. Perumalswamy and Anurag Vardhan (in spectacles) being produced at the Patiala House Courts in New Delhi on Friday.

NEW DELHI MAY 23. A Delhi court today remanded Anurag Vardhan, a Deputy Commissioner posted in the Income Tax Department here, R. Perumalsamy, personal assistant to Gingee Ramachandran, who has resigned as the Union Minister of State for Finance, and S. Padmanabhan, an accomplice of Perumalsamy, to police custody in the "transfer racket case."

The Central Bureau of Investigation had arrested the three on Thursday at the residence of the Income-Tax officer after they had allegedly been through with the deal of transferring Mr. Vardhan from Delhi to Mumbai for a consideration.

The investigating agency arrested the Minister's personal assistant and his accomplice with Rs. 4 lakhs which they allegedly received from Mr. Vardhan for "fixing the transfer of his choice to Mumbai in lieu of the money."

The Special Judge, Prem Kumar, remanded Mr. Perumalsamy, to 10 days' police remand while Mr. Padmanabhan and Mr. Vardhan were sent to four days' police custody.

Seeking the police remand of these accused for 10 days, counsel for the investigating agency submitted that this case was part of a racket of transfer and posting of high-ranking officials by taking illegal gratification.

As per the "deal," Mr. Vardhan was transferred from Delhi to Mumbai as his name figured in the list of transferees issued by the Department of Revenue on May 21.

The CBI sought police custody as they had to confront the accused with the documents recovered during the searches here and in Chennai as well as for identifying other officials involved in the racket so that the entire conspiracy could be unearthed.

Justifying the police remand of Mr. Vardhan and Mr. Padmanabhan for a lesser period, the Special Judge said that Mr. Vardhan's two children were "autistic" and Mr. Padmanabhan had a limited role of accompanying the Minister's personal assistant to Mr. Vardhan's residence to collect the money.

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