CBI Files Charge Sheet In Rs 250-Cr Pulses Scam

The CBI has filed a charge sheet in the infamous Rs 250-crore pulses scam involving the export of 60,000 metric tonnes of pulses despite a government ban in 2006-07 — nearly 17 years after a case was first registered in the matter —, officials said.
     
The agency's investigation remained stalled during the period, with letters rogatory sent to three countries failing to elicit timely responses.
     
A letter rogatory – a judicial request sent by a court to a foreign country seeking its assistance in sharing information in a case – to New Zealand is still pending.
     
In its charge sheet filed recently before a special court, the Central Bureau of Investigation named Jet King, its owner Shyam Sunder Jain, Naresh Kumar Jain, and one Prashant Sethi.
     
It is alleged that Jet King circumvented the government ban on pulse export in collusion with some UAE-based companies by manipulating a backdated Letter of Credit issued by a Cook Islands bank.
     
The CBI has invoked IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy, cheating, and forgery against the accused, in addition to provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
     
In 2007, opposition leaders pointed out that pulses were being exported based on backdated documents, undermining the then-UPA government's attempts to control the spiraling prices of pulses in the country.