In a significant development, the head of the government's prestigious bullet train project was sacked amid allegations of corruption. Satish Agnihotri was removed as the Managing Director of the National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL), as per news agency PTI.
The action came after a Lokpal court on 2 June 2022, ordered CBI to ascertain if charges of corruption are made out against Agnihotri. It has been claimed that when Agnihotri was CMD of Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd, he struck a quid pro quo deal with a private company.
Agnihotri has also been accused of taking up a job in a private company within one year of his retirement without the Central government's permission.
Agnihotri has challenged the allegations, claiming that he never favoured any companies, and his son did not work in any firm which secured contracts, the PTI report said. Agnihotri has also claimed that he had written to the Central government for waiver of the one year cooling-off period for private employment.
Also Watch| 'Dead' witness comes to life; CBI issued show cause notice by Bihar court
He is a 1982-batch IRSE officer who reportedly has over 20 years of experience in implementation of mega rail projects.
The NHSRCL, which is a joint venture between the Centre and states for bullet train and other high-speed projects, will now be headed by Director, Projects Rajendra Prasad for 3 months.