CBI Registers Case Against Tata Consulting Engineers, Former JNPT Chief Manager Over ₹800 Crore Dredging Scam

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against the Tata Consulting Engineers Limited, the then chief manager of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) and others for allegedly causing wrongful loss to the tune of around Rs 800 crore in contracts.

According to the CBI, a complaint was registered by the CBI following a preliminary alleging complicity between port officials of JNPT and the private companies involved, leading to preparation of inflated estimates, restriction of competition in order to favour international bidders, extension of undue favour to contractor and suppression of reports of independent experts/organisations.

The allegations of pecuniary advantage obtained by the private companies as a result of abuse of official position by the JNPT officials resulting into a huge wrongful loss to the exchequer, spread over the period from 2003 to 2014 (phase-l of the project) and 2013 to 2019 (phase-ll of project) was also enquired, officials said.

"During the course of enquiry, criminal conspiracy between the JNpr officials and other private persons, resulting into the wrongful loss amounting to Rs. 365.90 crores for phase - and Rs. 438 crores for phase - ll to JNPT due to over-dredging has surfaced. A case has been registered on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating and criminal misconduct by public servan't by abusing official position against a the then chief manager of JNPT, M/s Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE), a project director with M/s TCE, a Bandra Kurla Complex based private company and a Chennai based private company under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act," said a CBI official.