Source: The Economic Times India
The Madras High Court has put respondents on notice in a Public Interest Litigation seeking a CBI probe into the case of bribing Government officials by software exporter Cognizant for obtaining key permits for its offices in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. The plea was filed by ML Ravi, President of registered political party Desiya Makkal Sakthi Katchi, an advocate and a social activist, according to a copy of the petition filed with the Madras High Court. A Madras High Court bench, hearing the case on Monday, slated the case for further hearing in March. The petition has Cognizant, and engineering and construction major L&T as respondents, besides the Tamil Nadu Government, the state Vigilance and anti-corruption watchdog, and the CBI. The petition seeks directions to the CBI to register a case and carry out investigations under the supervision of the Madras High Court.Pitching for a CBI probe, the petition says “The Independent Agency, Central Bureau of Investigation, investigates corruption in public administration, misconduct by bureaucracy…” according to the copy of the petition.Software Exporter Cognizant had disclosed early last year that it had arrived at a settlement with American investigators at the Securities and Exchanges Commission (SEC) and the Department of Justice (DoJ) over its involvement in illegal payouts to secure building permits for its offices in India.
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