New Delhi, April 24 (IANS) A Delhi court on Friday sent Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official Mudavath Devula and private company executive Bharat Mathur to judicial custody till May 6 in connection with a bribery case involving alleged payment of Rs 2.5 lakh for regulatory approvals.

The order was passed by the Rouse Avenue Court after the accused were produced before it upon the expiry of their Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) custody.

Devula, serving as Deputy Director General in the Airworthiness Directorate of the DGCA, and Mathur, a Senior Vice President associated with a private aerospace-linked firm, were arrested by the CBI on April 18 after allegedly being caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 2.5 lakh.

Earlier, on April 22, the court had extended their CBI custody by two days after the probe agency sought further time to confront the duo with evidence and continue the investigation.

The accused were initially remanded to three days’ CBI custody following their arrest, which was subsequently extended by the court.

According to the CBI, Devula, a senior DGCA official responsible for certifying the airworthiness of aircraft and drones, allegedly demanded undue advantage from private entities in lieu of granting approvals and permissions for applications pending before the regulator.

Bharat Mathur, Senior Vice President of a private firm linked to the aerospace sector, is alleged to have acted as an intermediary in facilitating the bribery transaction between the DGCA official and the company seeking clearance for drone imports.

Following the arrests, the CBI conducted searches at multiple premises linked to the accused in Delhi, which led to the recovery of Rs 37 lakh in cash, along with gold and silver coins and several digital devices.

The probe agency is also seeking to ascertain the broader scope of the alleged nexus between officials and private entities.

–IANS

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