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Congress alleges ₹112 crore kickback benefited former Prasar Bharati chief Navneet Kumar Sehgal
Congress alleges ₹112 crore kickback benefited former Prasar Bharati chief Navneet Kumar Sehgal
Citing a recent media report and confidential 254-page document of the Directorate of Income Tax (Investigation), the Congress alleged that former Prasar Bharati chief Navneet Kumar Sehgal was the biggest beneficiary of a kickback network that siphoned off nearly ₹112 crore from Uttar Pradesh government schemes between 2019–20 and 2021–22. The party also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on the matter.
Mr. Sehgal resigned as Chairman of Prasar Bharati on December 2, with a year still remaining in his tenure. According to a report published by news portal Newslaundry, based on the confidential Income Tax document, Mr. Sehgal was identified as the largest alleged beneficiary of the kickback network.
Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera, who heads the party's Media and Publicity Department, said in a statement that despite these “serious allegations, there is no publicly known criminal prosecution or departmental action following the sharing of the findings”. He pointed out that the Income Tax Department closed the case after accepting Mr. Sehgal's explanation. Subsequently, he was appointed Chairman of Prasar Bharati in March 2024. Mr. Khera also addressed a press conference on the issue at Congress headquarters in Delhi.
While the official reason for Mr. Sehgal's resignation was not known, Mr. Khera said, “Speculation is rife that his resignation is linked to his past association with Hiren Joshi and the betting app controversy.” Mr. Joshi currently serves as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) for Communications and Information Technology at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). Mr. Khera further claimed that “reports now suggest Hiren Joshi is being replaced” by Mr. Sehgal, a 1988-batch IAS officer from Uttar Pradesh.
He questioned Mr. Modi's silence on the issue. “What other rackets are operating in the PMO, and who is accountable? If officials linked to betting app scams can function at the heart of the PMO, what does this say about PM Modi?” he asked, but did not elaborate on his charge regarding “betting app scams”.
Mr. Khera also raised questions about the “current status” of Mr. Joshi, asking whether he had “been formally removed, suspended, or placed under investigation? Is PM Modi personally shielding him from scrutiny?”
He accused Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath of shielding Mr. Sehgal, claiming the State government failed to act even after the Income Tax Department shared its findings.
“Is this not an outright whitewashing of corruption, even as PM Modi continues to chant ‘na khaunga, na khane dunga'? [I will not take bribes, nor will I let others take bribes] Is it not the truth that the double-engine government has deliberately avoided action because it too had dipped its hands into the loot siphoned off from schemes meant for artisans and small workers?” Mr. Khera said.
Published - December 26, 2025 07:34 pm IST
politics / crime / violation of law
Source: TheHindu
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