Ex-IAF chief S.P. Tyagi gets bail in AgustaWestland case
New Delhi, Sep 12 : Former IAF chief Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi and others were granted bail by a court here on Wednesday in a money laundering case related to the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal.
Special Judge Arvind Kumar asked Tyagi and others, who appeared before him, to furnish a personal bond of Rs one lakh and surety bond of like amount each.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a supplementary charge sheet in the chopper deal case against 34 individuals and foreign and Indian companies, including Tyagi, his two cousins, advocate Gautam Khaitan and Italians Carlo Gerosa and Guido Haschke.
Former AgustaWestland CEO Bruno Spagnolini, and Giuseppe Orsi, former chief of Italian defence and aerospace major Finmeccanica, and others were also chargesheeted in the case.
The charge sheet, which mentions money laundering of around 28 million euros, named Orsi, Bruno, Tyagi's cousins Sanjeev Tyagi and Rajiv Tyagi along with Rajeev Saxena, Director of Dubai-based firm Matrix Holdings, his wife Shivani Saxena and Khaitan's wife Ritu Khaitan.
Among the Indian and foreign companies named are Aeromatrix Info Solution Ltd, Windsor Group Holdings, Ismax International Ltd, Cricklewood Ltd, Long Lasting Ltd, Matrix Holding Pvt Ltd, UHY Saxena, Dubai Interstellar Technologies Ltd, O.P. Khaitan and Co International Mediterranean Consulting, Tunisia Infotech Design Systems, Gordian Services, Finmeccanica SPA and AgustaWestland.
The ED said kickbacks were paid by AgustaWestland through two different channels -- one handled by middleman Christian Michel James and the other by Gerosa and Haschke.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) too has filed a charge sheet in the case.
On January 1, 2014, India cancelled a contract with Finmeccanica's British subsidiary AgustaWestland for supplying 12 AW-101 VVIP choppers to the IAF, over alleged breach of contractual obligations and on charges of paying kickbacks totalling Rs 423 crore.
The CBI alleged that the then Indian Air Force chief took bribes of several crores from AgustaWestland through the middlemen -- and a complex set of companies in several countries -- to change specifications of the contract.
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Eggs safe for consumption, cancer risk claims unfounded: FSSAI
New Delhi (PTI): The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has categorically dismissed recent claims linking eggs to cancer risk, terming them "misleading, scientifically unsupported and capable of creating unnecessary public alarm".
In a statement issued on Saturday, the food safety regulator clarified that eggs available in the country are safe for human consumption and that reports alleging the presence of carcinogenic substances in eggs lack a scientific basis.
The clarification comes in response to media reports and social media posts claiming detection of nitrofuran metabolites (AOZ) -- substances purportedly linked to cancer -- in eggs sold in India.
FSSAI officials emphasised that the use of nitrofurans is strictly prohibited at all stages of poultry and egg production under the Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulations, 2011.
The regulator explained that an Extraneous Maximum Residue Limit (EMRL) of 1.0 µg/kg has been prescribed for nitrofuran metabolites -- but solely for regulatory enforcement purposes. This limit represents the minimum level that can be reliably detected by advanced laboratory methods and does not indicate that the substance is permitted for use.
"Detection of trace residues below the EMRL does not constitute a food safety violation nor does it imply any health risk," an FSSAI official said.
FSSAI said India's regulatory framework is aligned with international practices. The European Union and the United States also prohibit the use of nitrofurans in food-producing animals and employ reference points for action or guideline values only as enforcement tools.
Differences in numerical benchmarks across countries reflect variations in analytical and regulatory approaches, not differences in consumer safety standards, the authority noted.
On public health concerns, FSSAI cited scientific evidence indicating that there is no established causal link between trace-level dietary exposure to nitrofuran metabolites and cancer or other adverse health outcomes in humans.
"No national or international health authority has associated normal egg consumption with increased cancer risk," the regulator reiterated.
Addressing reports related to the testing of a specific egg brand, officials explained that such detections are isolated and batch-specific, often arising from inadvertent contamination or feed-related factors, and are not representative of the overall egg supply chain in the country.
"Generalising isolated laboratory findings to label eggs as unsafe is scientifically incorrect," the statement said.
FSSAI urged consumers to rely on verified scientific evidence and official advisories, reiterating that eggs remain a safe, nutritious, and valuable component of a balanced diet when produced and consumed in compliance with food safety regulations.
