SAIL Ka Khel – Part 2 : Officers Under CBI Lens Being Protected By Chairman Amarendu Prakash

“For suffering is not rewarded here, nor punished, for what men have not done”, wrote William Shakespeare in The Merchant of Venice.

And strange are the ways, rules and regulations of the Steel Maharatna – Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). On one side, persons are being punished for no rhyme or reason and on the contrary, those who should be given non-sensitive postings, are sitting at plum posts, with the blessings of Amarendu Prakash, Chairman of SAIL.

Rajeev Bhatia, the person who raised the Rs. 800 crore scam of SAIL, was forced into retirement on flimsy reasons and as he alone could not be targeted as it would raise a finger of suspicion on SAIL top management, 10 others were made scapegoats with him. It was on Bhatia’s complaint to the Lokpal, the Ministry of Steel had, 0n January 19, 2024, had placed 29 officials of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) under suspension including V.S. Chakravarthy – Director (Commercial) and A.K. Tulsiani – Director (Finance) of the Steel Maharatna PSU. The Criminal Bureau of Investigation (CBI) started investigation in the case and the probe is still on.

What now can be termed as a “big fault” or “major crime” committed by Rajeev Bhatia is that he dared to challenge the entire organization of SAIL by complaining to the Lok Pal about the sale of steel to non-vendors of SAIL on discounted prices which is against the rules. SAIL can sell steel on discounted prices only to its vendors who are into construction business and not to traders, who sell it at higher rates in open market.

The premise that he was placed under suspension is not only flimsy, but laughable. The ground taken to place him under suspension that he did not use his official email to complain and rather used his Gmail Account to do so. Later, his suspension was revoked and he was subjected to harassment of all sorts before being forced into retirement, say insiders who do not wish to be named.

Insiders have a long story to tell. They say that Bhatia has approached everyone in the Ministry of Steel including senior bureaucrats, seeking an appointment of a few minutes, but such is the clout of SAIL Chairman Amaendu Prakash, that no one is willing to see him for even a second, leaving the whistle blower as an untouchable object. This raises a pertinent question, is raising issues of mass corruption and saving the national exchequer of a huge financial loss, a crime, that the whistle blower has to bear with injustice all his life…

Double Standards of SAIL Management

Later, suspension of 29 officials of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) including that of V.S. Chakravarthy – Director (Commercial) and A.K. Tulsiani – Director (Finance) of the Steel Maharatna PSU, was revoked, pending CBI investigation against them.

As per norm, even if suspension of officials who are accused of a scam and are under investigation is revoked, are not given sensitive postings. But due to facts and factors better known to the high and mighty SAIL Chairman Amarendu Prakash, quite surprisingly, V.S. Chakravarthy came back on the same sensitive posting, same as Director (Commercial) and A.K. Tulsiani was also given back the same sensitive chair of Director (Finance).

This raises a very pertinent question, whether there is dearth of knowledge, talent and experience in SAIL that Amarendu Prakash could not find two other names within the organization to fit into the post of Director (Commercial) and Director (Finance)? What was his compulsion or interest to give these sensitive posting to the two officials who are still under CBI scrutiny?

On the contrary, a press release issued by SAIL after forced retirement of 11 officials including Rajeev Bhatia said “Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), a Maharatna CPSE under Ministry of Steel, has a policy for undertaking assessment of probity and efficacy of executives above 50 years of age. Detailed guidelines in this regard, approved by Board of Directors of the Company, lay down the criteria for reviewing the effectiveness, efficiency, conduct and integrity of executives based on service records.

After the last such review, the recommendations of various Standing Committees in SAIL Plants / Units were considered by respective Competent Authorities and in line with the provisions similar to Fundamental Rule 56(j) in SAIL’s Conduct Discipline & Appeals Rules, it was decided to retire 11 executives in the interest of maintaining efficiency, integrity and accountability in the organization”.

www.indianpsu.com sent three emails to SAIL Chairman Amarendu Prakash asking his views on this subject but as usual, he did not answer to our queries or perhaps he did not have an answer to offer. Emails sent to the Corporate Communications Department of SAIL also did not elicit any response.

The Whistle Blower continues to suffer

An Alumni of IIT – Delhi, Rajeev Bhatia, leave getting a bit of relief and respite, is today wandering on the streets to seek justice from the system but till this moment he has failed to get a patient hearing from anyone sitting at the helm of Steel Ministry.

Is affluence and influence of the high and mighty bigger than integrity of a person who raised a scam of Rs. 800 crore ? Is saving the money of the country and the national exchequer a crime ?

We Report – You Decide…

TO BE CONTINUED