CBI officers ordered to pay damages to DD official

In a rare instance, a city court has ordered that two officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are personally liable to pay damages of ₹2.5 lakh to Mahesh Joshi, who is presently the Additional Director-General of Doordarshan (south zone), in an alleged corruption case in 2000.

The 9th Additional City Civil and Sessions judge Krishnamurthy B. Sangannanavar passed the order while allowing a suit filed by Mr. Joshi in 2003 against N. Dilip Kumar, the then Superintendent of Police, CBI, and B. Paneerselvam, the then Inspector, CBI, Bengaluru.

Both Mr. Kumar and Mr. Paneerselvam will have to jointly pay ₹2.5 lakh to Mr. Joshi along with six per cent interest per annum from 2003, which amounts to approximately Rs. 1.95 lakh.

‘Fraudulently prosecuted’

Mr. Joshi was “fraudulently, dishonestly, maliciously prosecuted without there being any reasonable or probable cause and it goes without saying that the plaintiff [Joshi] and his family members have been humiliated and disgraced in the estimation of his friends, relatives and other well-known circles, as such, he has suffered damages,” the court held, while accepting his contention that false case was booked against him intentionally.

Case registered

The CBI registered a suo motu case against three persons, who served as directors of Doordarshan Kendra (DDK), Bengaluru between 1998 and 1999 and four others, including Mr. Joshi, who was an executive producer then. The CBI had alleged that there was irregularity in approval of a programme called ‘Lux Top 10’ causing loss of revenue to DDK.

The High Court quashed the FIR against him by observing that there was “not even a faintest prima facie case against him” as he was on deputation to other department during 1998-99.

In his suit seeking damages, Mr. Joshi had alleged that the false case was registered against him at the behest of Mr. Kumar, who had vengeance against the former for not being able to get favours to him through some political personalities.

Mr. Joshi claimed that Mr. Kumar sought his help to get favours from the then Chief Minister of Goa in 1996 when the former was serving in DDK, Goa, and also from a former Chairman of the Karnataka Legislative Council, when Mr. Joshi was on deputation as his private secretary during 1998-99.