CBI questions Sunil Kapur again in AirAsia bribery case
New Delhi, June 8 : The CBI on Thursday again questioned Sunil Kapur, Chairman of Travel Foods and Services, in connection with an alleged bribery case for getting FDI rules tweaked by AirAsia to get international flying licences.
A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) official said that Kapur was again called for questioning and asked about whom all he met in the Civil Aviation Ministry and about a catering contract to him for in-flight catering by AirAsia.
Kapur was questioned for several hours on Tuesday also by CBI officials.
Earlier, the agency had examined Rajendra Dubey, Director of HNR Pte Ltd, Green IT Com Pvt Ltd and RRT Services India Pvt Ltd.
The CBI action had registered a case on May 29 against Malaysia-based AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes, AirAsia India Director R. Venkataramanan and AirAsia Group Deputy CEO T. Kanagalingam alias Bo Lingam and others for alleged violation of norms for getting international flying licence.
The CBI's FIR also mentions aviation consultant Deepak Talwar, Dubey and some unknown public servants of the Civil Aviation Ministry and the then Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB).
According to the CBI FIR, during 2015-16, AAIL remitted about Rs 12.28 crore to HNR Trading Pte Ltd, owned by Dubey, for a sham contract on the basis of a bogus agreement on plain papers.
This was used for paying bribes to unidentified public servants and others for securing permit for the operation of international scheduled air transport services through Deepak Talwar of DTA Consulting and Sunil Kapur, Chairman of Travel/Total Food Services, who acted as lobbying agents.
In its FIR, the agency alleged that efforts were made by Fernandes to get the 5/20 rule of the civil aviation policy changed so that AirAsia could start international operations.
The rule requires that an airline must be operating in India for five years and have at least 20 aircraft in its fleet before starting international operations.
Fernandes is also accused of "putting pressure" on former AirAsia India CEO Mittu Chandilya to pursue changes in regulatory policies for international aviation in India which would be beneficial to the company.
AirAsia and Venkataramanan have denied the charges, saying the accusations were made with mala fide intention and will be contested in court.
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Curbs on movement, assembly remain in force in Kashmir after protests against Khamenei's killing
Srinagar (PTI): Normal life in Kashmir was affected for the fifth consecutive day as partial restrictions on movement of people remained in force as a precautionary measure.
The restrictions were imposed on Monday after spontaneous protests broke out across Kashmir a day earlier against the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israel joint strikes.
Chief minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday held a meeting with civil society representatives and religious leaders as part of efforts to bring the situation back to normalcy.
ALSO READ: Protests against Khamenei's killing: Curbs remain in force in Kashmir
After the meeting, Abdullah appealed to people to maintain peace while expressing grief and anger in "mosques, shrines and Imambaras".
The government has shut educational institutions till Saturday, and reduced mobile internet speeds.
"Restrictions on the movement and assembly of the people continued in many parts of Kashmir on Thursday," the officials said.
A large number of police and paramilitary CRPF personnel were deployed across the city to prevent gatherings of protestors, the officials said.
They added that concertina wires and barricades were placed at important intersections leading into the city, while asserting that these were precautionary measures imposed to maintain law and order.
The iconic Ghanta Ghar in the city centre of Lal Chowk here continued to remain a no-go zone after the authorities sealed area with barricades erected all around it on late Sunday night.
The move to seal the Ghanta Ghar came after it witnessed massive protests on Sunday after Khamenei's assassination in the joint air strikes by the US and Israel.
This is the first time since August 2019 -- when Article 370 was revoked -- that protests on such a large scale have taken place in Kashmir.
