The Information and Broadcasting Ministry is in a dilemma over taking action against former Director General of Doordarshan Aruna Sharma in connection with the Commonwealth Games broadcasting rights scam that led to loss of `135 crore to the Government.

The Ministry, which has granted a speedy permission for a CBI probe against suspended Prasar Bharati CEO BS Lalli into the CWG broadcasting scam, is yet to reach a decision on the fate of Sharma.

The Shunglu Committee had indicted Aruna Sharma along with Lalli for “acts of omission and commission” in granting the CWG broadcasting contract to UK-based firm SIS Live, which had subcontracted the project to Indian firm Zoom Communications.

The Shunglu Committee had indicted them for imposing restrictive and inflexible conditions in the tendering process to discourage competition and misrepresent and suppress information crucial for informed decision-making, thereby vitiating the selection process to the advantage of SIS Live and Zoom Communications. The report also stated that the duo extended award of contract benefits and concessions to SIS Live. But the Ministry claims that there was no “criminal intent” on Sharma’s part.

The Ministry, which had earlier delayed action on the ground that it needed time to go through the voluminous reply of Sharma to the Shunglu Committee report, has now stated in a report that a CBI probe against the serving bureaucrat will be “unfair” since there was “insufficient evidence’ and suggested only departmental inquiry against her.

The Ministry reluctantly gave suggestion for departmental action against Sharma after Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni refused to sign the earlier recommendations of her Ministry officials lauding Sharma for “working under an extremely challenging situation” to provide a ‘world class coverage” as “national pride and honour was stake” and the “consequences of non-coverage or shoddy coverage would have been disastrous”, sources told The Pioneer.

Now Soni is in a dilemma whether to abide by the PMO’s direction or go by the advice given by her Ministry officials to initiate departmental inquiry against her by an independent entity. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had issued direction for a CBI probe in the irregularity.

Asked about the Ministry’s move to exonerate Sharma, Soni told The Pioneer, “There is no question of letting anyone go scot-free. I have got two options either to sanction CBI inquiry or order departmental inquiry by an independent entity under the Prasar Bharati Act.

I am mulling over both the options as we want to do justice but not victimise any one.”

Repeated attempts by this correspondent to contact Sharma did not materialise as she did not pick up her phone.

Soni’s hesitation is based on the fact that the Ministry had defended Sharma by citing that non-finalisation of various issues despite prolonged discussion in Host Broadcast Management Committee (HBMC) could not have been left unresolved. Accusing the Finance wing of the Prasar Bharati of creating impediments without giving any solution, it said that when the issue was taken to the Board the latter also directed that the matter be resolved in HBMC meetings.

“Under the circumstances, she was forced to push for certain decisions which in the hindsight are being questioned,” the Ministry report had said.

“She made all efforts to seek the interventions of HBMC, Solicitor General, the Ministry, the Oversight Committee, CVC, CoS and GoM while working under extremely challenging circumstances and competitive timeline. She was also required to keep the entity on board and provide them the necessary level of comfort and resolve any issues /impediment coming in the way of timely execution. While doing so she tried to balance the interest of the Prasar Bharati to the best of her wisdom. The key point is that she was finally able to provide a world-class coverage,” the report said.

However, when the Minister refused to sign this appreciation of Sharma, which was in sharp contrast to the Shunglu Committee report, the Ministry referred the matter to Prasar Bharti and unsuccessfully tried to get its endorsement against the CBI probe.

The board tried to steer clear of the controversy on the ground that since it was not consulted in Lalli’s case there was no reason why Sharma’s issue should be referred to it, and that too without the Shunglu Committee report or Sharma’s replies to the charges. It also cited lack of adequate manpower to go through the complicated matter.

Significantly, member Finance AK Jain wanted the Prasar Bharati to recommend CBI probe against Sharma for violation of norms in awarding the contract, but his voice was lost in the din of majority decision not to get involved in the matter, sources said.

Jain had on February 21 had also written to the Secretary Information and Broadcasting Raghu Menon pointing out that there have been instances of substantial irregularities in the execution of CWG broadcasting project. He also claimed that a three-member committee of the public broadcaster, consisting of Sunil Kumar, George Verghese and JPS Chawla, had “omitted/ twisted certain vital facts while framing replies to Audit Memos issued by Directorate General of Audit, Central Expenditure “thereby preventing a fair consideration of issues raised.

Jain, who had drawn attention to the various discrepancies in the consideration of various proposals and deviation from the applicable financial rules and regulations, had pointed out “certain factual errors” in the replies being sent to the Directorate which had conducted a special audit into the expenditure incurred in connection with CWG broadcasting project. However, the Ministry chose to ignore his objections, sources said.

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