Chandigarh: CBI court dismisses bail plea of 7th accused in Chittaranjan Locomotive Works bribery case

Observing that if released on bail, he is most likely to abscond and hamper the trial, the special court of CBI court has dismissed the bail application of Ramesh Chand Dhiman, a private conduit and the seventh accused in the alleged Chittaranjan Locomotive Works bribery case of ₹1.80 lakh.

Seeking bail, the accused pleaded that he has been in custody since March 25 and that the investigation is complete, and supplementary challan has been filed.

Whereas, Narender Singh, the public prosecutor for the CBI, opposing the bail, argued that his conduct has remained dubious, and if released on bail, he will abscond and hamper the trial.

The special CBI court mentioned how the accused was not responding to the notices issued to him by the court when a supplementary chargesheet was filed against him.

“The notices issued were always received by his wife with the assurance that the accused would appear in the court, but he never did. Thereafter, he did not appear even when a bailable warrant was issued against him,” the court said.

It added: “It is only on the issuance of the non-bailable warrant that the accused was arrested and produced before the court. This clearly shows that the accused was always trying to avoid his appearance in the court and that he had to be arrested with great difficulty.”

The court dismissed the bail plea stating: “Keeping in view the past conduct of the accused, at this stage he does not deserve the concession of bail.”

The case

An FIR was registered against the accused on the allegations that M/s. E.C. Blades & Tools Private Limited, Chandigarh, was awarded the contract for the supply of 28 sets of bogey frames on December 14, 2021, to Chitranjan Locomotive Works of Indian Railways.

Accused Sonu Arora and Rajan Gupta being directors of M/s. E.C. Blades & Tools Private Limited, Chandigarh, used the services of accused Praveen Vyas to contact the officers of Chitranjan Locomotive Works for delivery of bribe as demanded by them in lieu of award of contract and enhancing the quantity of material to be supplied.

It is also alleged that accused Sonu Arora and Rajan Gupta were in criminal conspiracy with other private accused persons Praveen Vyas, Pawan Kumar Singh and Vinod Kumar working on behalf of directors of M/s. E.C. Blades & Tools Private Limited for obtaining undue favour in an award of railway contracts and processing of bills etc. by paying illegal gratification to accused Ravi Sekhar Sinha, principal chief material manager, Chitranjan Locomotive Works, Indian Railways.

So far as the allegations against Ramesh Chand Dhiman, he has handed over a bribe of ₹4.34 lakh to Vinod of M/s. Auspice Autocraft Privat Limited at Chandigarh on the directions of Sonu and Rajan. He had also informed Praveen on his mobile about the delivery of the bribe amount.