New Delhi, July 21: One, Sharada Subramaniam, Principal Director in the Comptroller and Auditor General of India was dismissed from service following serious allegations that during one of her previous stint as Coffee Board's director finance she illegally diverted crores into mutual funds for personal pecuniary gains.
The CAG after examining voluminous documents, issued an order on June 13, 2018, suggesting either of penalties can be imposed on her under Central Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1965. They ranged from compulsory retirement to dismissal from service under clauses vii, viii and ix of Rule 11 of CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965. Clauses vii and viii talk of removing an officer from service but the punishment does not bar him or her from future employment under the government, while clause ix is invoked for dismissal from service which is also a disqualification for future employment in government.
Subramaniam filed a petition in the Central Administrative Tribunal on November 20, 2019, against the CAG's move to indict her. The CAT, however, denied any interim relief to the auditor at that time, on account that not only disciplinary proceedings were completed by an inquiry officer but the UPSC had given its view on it too. The matter is still pending with the CAT.
Subramaniam accused the CAG of not being fair to her during the probe against her. She said she will challenge her dismissal in a court.
Interestingly, her husband Sandeep Dash too was earlier dismissed from Indian Civil Accounts Service after he was arrested by the Karnataka police in 2015 August on charges of embezzling state exchequer in the same BDA scam. He committed irregularities during his tenure as member of finance of BDA from 1997 to 2005. Later he moved as Executive Director (Finance) Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited. Due to investments in mutual funds, the BDA had lost Rs 192.41 crore towards July 2015 end.
The CBI which also investigated the matter charged that Subramaniam primarily connived with her husband Dash and two brokerage firms Green Homes India and GS Financial Services to fraudulently divert Coffee Board's Rs 16.2 crore surplus funds. It was invested in various mutual funds which resulted in wrongful loss of Rs 53.25 lakh for Coffee Board and corresponding gain for themselves and others.
At least three IA&AS officers, including Arindam Sarkar, Paramsivam and Shantanu Basu, have lost their jobs in last one decade due to corruption charges. CAG senior officer Sharada Subramaniam dismissed from service on corruption charges
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