Govt yet to grant sanction to prosecute Chidambaram

Sanction to prosecute around 100 public persons and officials, including former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, in connection with corruption cases, has been pending for more than four months with the central government, the Central Vigilance Commission has said in its latest data.

Chidambaram is the lone MP in the list while the rest are officials, including former Niti Aayog CEO Sindhushree Khullar.

As of May 31, the CVC data said, the sanction for prosecution is pending in 57 corruption cases. Of the 57 cases, sanction for prosecution in eight cases, involving 29 officials of Department of Personnel and Training, Corporation Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, Punjab National Bank and Oriental Bank of Commerce is not necessary, it said, adding that final action is taken, however, is awaited.

The sanction for prosecution has to be decided a within four-months' time, as per norms.

In Chidambaram's case, the request for sanction to prosecute him was sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on January 22 this year but it has not been given till date.

The case pertains to the FIR filed by the CBI in May 2017 in the INX Media case, in which Chidambaram is accused of committing irregularities in providing FIPB clearance to the media house for receiving overseas funds in 2007, when he was the finance minister in the UPA government.

Besides Khullar, sanction to prosecute former secretary of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Anup K Pujari is also pending in the INX Media case.

The government's approval to prosecute Prabodh Saxena, the Principal Secretary in the Himachal Pradesh government, former undersecretary in the Department of Economic Affairs Rabindra Prasad and another official Ajith Kumar Dung are also pending in the same case.