Days after I-T Raids, MP Govt Takes Up E-Tender Scam During Chouhan’s Rule, Files FIR

Bhopal: In an apparent retaliation to the recent Income Tax raids conducted in Madhya Pradesh, an FIR was lodged against “unknown bureaucrats and politicians” in connection with an e-tendering scam worth Rs 3,000 crore on Wednesday.

The scam had surfaced during the last few days of Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s rule in 2018.

The case deals with manipulation of the e-procurement platform of the MP government though which e-tenders were allegedly tampered with and a chosen few private players benefitted with tenders in their favour.

The FIR has been lodged on the basis of preliminary evidences found in the case and findings of a probe report of the Computer Emergency Response Team, New Delhi, a statement of the Economic Offence Wing (EOW), the probing agency, said.

The evidences and technical inputs suggested that through tampering in e-procurement portal, nine tenders, including three belonging to the Jal Nigam, two each of the PWD and water resources department and a tender of the MP Road Development Corporation.

In the process, companies, including those based in Hyderabad, Mumbai, Baroda and Bhopal, benefitted.

Those named in the FIR included unknown employees of MP State Electronics Development Corporation, officers-employees of government departments concerned and directors of Bhopal-based IT firm Osmo IT Solutions, Antares Private Limited, Bangalore, and officers of Tata Consultancy Services.

The individuals have been booked under sections 120-B, 420, 468, 471 of the Indian Penal Code, Section 66 of the IT Act and sections 7 and 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. A probe is underway, read the EOW statement.

EOW Director General KN Tiwari said the anomalies took place between January and March 2018 and officials involved in e-tendering used to tamper with the software and learn about the tendered quotes and used the information to help a few companies.

It is widely believed that this is the Kamal Nath government's reply to the recent I-T raids that were conducted on premises of the chief minister's aides.

Sources said names of several politicians, senior bureaucrats and businessmen could come up soon.