SC allows CVC probe at Prasar Bharati

    The Supreme Court on today (24-08-2009) allowed a Central Vigilance Commission probe  in to the  alleged financial and administrative irregularities in the functioning of the public broadcaster Prasar Bharati, as ordered earlier by the Delhi High Court even as it felt there was no need for an outside observer to be present in the meetings of the Board.

         While allowing the Central Vigilance Commission inquiry, the  Supreme Court Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan stayed the other part of the High Court order, which said that said that the day-to-day functioning of Prasar Bharati will be carried out by three members of the Board -- CEO Mr B S Lalli, Member (Finance), and Member (Personnel) -- jointly. In a relief to Prasar Bharati CEO B S Lalli, the Supreme Court restored to him the executive powers taken away by the recent order of the Delhi High Court, on 27 July 2009 .The  bench  partially allowed Lalli's challenge to the High Court order with regard to his powers and said that he would function as per the Prasar Bharati Act which states that the CEO shall exercise powers delegated by the Board.

       TheDelhi High Court order , on 27 July 2009  had come during the hearing of the public interest lawsuit by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) challenging his extension and for his alleged refusal of internal audit of the pubcaster’s finances, though it had awarded several bids worth billions of rupees in the run-up to the 2010 Commonwealth Games.    Mr B S Lalli  moved the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi High Court interim ruling that ordered a CVC inquiry and appointed a former judge to supervise its board meetings.

      The hearing had led to an expose of the strained relations between Lalli and members of the Board. A Board meeting held last week was videotaped according to the orders of High Court and held in the presence of a retired judge of the High Court.  During the Board meeting , it is learnt that a unanimous decision was taken that the minutes of the meetings as recorded by the Chairman Arun K Bhatnagar would prevail and the CEO was asked to exercise greater care in this regard. (During the hearing of the petition in the High Court, Bhatnagar had alleged that though the Prasar Bharati Act 1990 authorized him to keep the minutes, Lalli had been making his own minutes, and the Court found the minutes for the same meeting recorded by the two to be at variance.)

FRIENDS OF PRASAR BHARATI  deplore the sorry pass to which the public service broadcaster, Prasar Bharati, has been reduced as a result of unseemly and self-serving internal squabbles and the studied neglect and polite hostility to the idea of genuine autonomy on the part of the government .