CBI Arrests PGCIL Senior Official and Vendor in Bribery Case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested two senior officials, including a Senior General Manager from Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. (PGCIL), in a bribery sting operation in Rajasthan on Thursday. The arrests followed a trap in Sikar, where Uday Kumar, the Senior GM posted in Ajmer, was caught accepting Rs 2.4 lakh from Suman Singh, a Deputy General Manager at Mumbai-based KEC International Ltd., a private infrastructure firm.

The CBI acted on a tip-off, registering a case on March 19 against six accused, including Kumar, Singh, and KEC’s Vice President Jabraj Singh, alongside other company representatives. The agency alleges Kumar demanded the bribe to expedite and favorably process bills tied to contracts between PGCIL and KEC. The sting unfolded as Kumar and Singh met in Sikar, with CBI teams swooping in post-transaction, seizing the cash and apprehending both red-handed.

Searches followed at the accused’s residences and offices in Sikar, Jaipur, and Mohali, yielding incriminating documents and digital devices. The FIR lists KEC International as an accused entity, though the company has not yet commented. Kumar and Singh were produced before a special CBI court in Jaipur on Friday, with the agency seeking custody to probe deeper into the conspiracy.

This marks the second high-profile bribery case involving PGCIL in recent years, following the 2022 arrest of its Itanagar Executive Director B.S. Jha, where Rs 93 lakh was recovered. The latest arrests underscore persistent corruption concerns in India’s public sector. On X, reactions ranged from outrage—“Another stain on Power Grid”—to calls for stricter oversight. The CBI continues its investigation, hinting at potential wider networks within the power and infrastructure sectors.