The CBI’s probe into the larger conspiracy to unravel suspected rigging of the National Stock Exchange’s (NSE’s) co-location facility to benefit some traders is still under way while the agency has so far charged the bourse’s former CEO Chitra Ramkrishna of misusing her official position to gloss over appointment rules for bringing on board Anand Subramanian and offer him an exorbitant salary.
Sources said that the CBI chargesheet, filed before a special CBI court at Rouse Avenue District Courts, has focussed on how Ramkrishna first appointed Subramanian as the chief strategic adviser and later re-designated as group operating officer (GOO) and adviser. The CBI has sought to prove that these actions were not in conformity with the recruitment and other guidelines. The Agency has reportedly underlined and questioned in the chargesheet the payment of over ₹4 crore as salary to Subramanian.
Though CBI sources did not disclose details of the filed chargesheet since it is sealed and confidential as of now, they revealed that it is so far restricted to the beginning of the scam, which is the administrative malfunctioning issues and also entails details about mysterious spiritual guru from whom the former NSE CEO said she would seek directions to discharge her duties.
Special Judge (CBI-02) Sanjeev Aggarwal is waiting for sanction of prosecution against Ramkrishna and Subramanian, both in judicial custody, to take cognizance of the chargesheet filed by the country's premium anti-corruption agency. On Monday, Judge Aggarwal directed the CBI's "concerned HOB (Head of the Branch)/SP of the Branch" to "expedite" sanction for prosecution against the accused from "competent authority". The matter will come up for a hearing again on May 25.
SEBI’s penalty
The Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) too, in February, accused Ramkrishna of governance lapses in Subramanian's appointment and passing on information to an "unidentified person". She was slapped with a fine of ₹3 crore and her former adviser was asked to cough up ₹2.05 crore by the regulator.
The CBI court is expected to pronounce an order on Thursday on the bail applications of both the accused after taking on record a medical status report filed by the Superintendent of Tihar jail, where the two are presently lodged. On March 25, Ramkrishna had moved volumenous bail application on the grounds that her medical conditions had deteriorated following her arrest by the CBI.