Posted by New Delhi: A special court in the national capital will decide whether to accept a closure report filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or direct further investigation in a case of alleged irregularities in the leasing of a large number of aircraft by National Aviation Corporation of India Ltd (NACIL) resulting in a pecuniary gain to private persons.
The CBI recently filed a closure report in the case involving leasing of large number of aircraft by the NACIL before a Delhi court, saying there was no “evidence of any wrongdoing”.
The closure report in the case was filed by the CBI before a special Rouse Avenue court and the matter would be taken up next on April 15, when the court will decide whether to close the case or direct CBI to further probe the case.
Leasing was done during the UPA era when Praful Patel was Civil Aviation minister
NACIL company was formed after the merger of Air India and Indian Airlines during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. Praful Patel, who is currently a member of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) faction led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar group and part of the Nationalist Democratic Alliance (NDA), was the Civil Aviation Minister during the UPA government when the leasing was done and he was questioned by the CBI as well as Enforcement Directorate in connection with these cases.
CBI registered 4 cases in 2017 on orders of Supreme Court
The CBI had registered the case in 2017 on the orders of the Supreme Court on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the non-governmental organisation – Centre for Public Interest Litigation – alleging “scandalous and malafide actions and decisions” of the Civil Aviation Ministry were driving Air India into heavy losses.
The CBI had registered four cases following the Supreme Court orders in connection with leasing of large number of aircraft by NACIL, purchase of 111 aircraft for then national airlines costing about Rs 70,000 crore to benefit foreign aircraft manufacturers and causing an alleged financial loss to the already stressed then national carriers and allegations for giving up profit making routes and profit making timings of Air India in favour of national and international private airlines causing a huge loss to the then national carrier.
Officials have told the news agency PTI that other cases related to alleged irregularities in Air India are continuing.
What did the CBI FIR allege?
The CBI FIR alleged that the leasing of aircraft was done by the public servants of Ministry of Civil Aviation under then minister Praful Patel and NACIL despite the airlines running with very low load because of large scale aircraft acquisition and several flights, especially overseas ones, running almost empty at a huge loss.
The FIR further alleged that the decision to lease aircraft was made “dishonestly” and the aircraft were leased even while aircraft acquisition programme was going on and that the said decision was taken “in conspiracy with other unknown persons on extraneous considerations” resulting in “pecuniary benefit” to private companies and consequent “loss to government exchequer”.
“Air India, to benefit private parties, dry leased four Boeing 777s for a period of five years in 2006, whereas it was to get the delivery of its own aircraft from July, 2007 onwards. As a result, five Boeing 777s and five Boeing 737s were kept idle on the ground at an estimated loss of Rs 840 crore during the period of 2007-09,” the CBI FIR alleged.