Bangalore, May 7 (ANI): Former union railway minister C.K.Jaffer Sharief on Tuesday said that incumbent Railway Minister Pawan Bansal cannot be blamed for the latest appointments scam dogging his ministry, as he had no direct role to play in it.
Interacting with media here, he said: " The appointment of an officer has nothing to do with the minister in any ministry. The Cabinet Committee of Appointment appoints the officers. The railway minister cannot act on his own," Jaffer Sharief said.
"The allegations are wrong. Let the investigative agencies look into it," he added.
Jaffer Sharief was reacting to an opposition charge that Bansal had a hand to play in facilitating a request from Mahesh Kumar, Member (Staff) Railway Board, to be considered for a shift to the post of Member (Electrical) for a "pre-agreed fee/commission".
Mahesh Kumar had allegedly paid a bribe of Rs.90 lakh as a first installment to Bansal's nephew Vijay Singla. He was reportedly ready to pay an amount of between Rs.2 crore and Rs.10 crore. He has since been placed on suspension.
According to television reports, Kumar was placed under suspension after receipt of a report from CBI in the said matter. Kumar was arrested by the CBI after the agency apprehended him in Mumbai while his conduit was paying the bribe to Singla.
With the arrest of Kumar and another middle man Rahul Yadav, CBI claims the total number of arrests has gone to nine in the bribery case.
Earlier, two courier boys, who had allegedly delivered 90 lakh rupees bribe to Bansal"s nephew for fixing the promotion of a Railway Board member, were arrested by the agency.
On Saturday, Bansal met Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and party chief Sonia Gandhi and apprised them that he had not been in touch for a while with his nephew.
Bansal had earlier said that he had no business links with him and denied any wrongdoing.
64-year-old Bansal, who was made Railway Minister in October last year, also sought an expeditious CBI inquiry into the issue.
"I have always observed highest standard of probity in public life and look forward to an expeditious investigation by CBI in the matter," he said in a statement. (ANI)
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