Union information and broadcasting ministry has forwarded the file — regarding action against former director general of Doordarshan Aruna Sharma in connection with the Commonwealth Games broadcasting rights scam that allegedly led to a loss of `135 crore — to the Prime Minister’s Office. The final call on the issue is now likely to be taken soon by the Prime Minister’s Office.
“The final call on any action against former director general of Doordarshan Aruna Sharma be taken by the PMO,” sources stated. It is understood that the step came after a delay as Union I&B minister Ambika Soni wanted a thorough probe against Sharma who is a serving bureaucrat. Sharma, an IAS officer, was repatriated to her parent cadre of Madhya Pradesh after she was indicted in the Shunglu committee report. The I&B ministry had also made a recommendation against suspended Prasar Bharati CEO B.S. Lalli who was indicted in the high level Shunglu Committee report. In its interim report submitted to Dr Manmohan Singh, the two-member committee headed by former Comptroller and Auditor General V.K. Shunglu, had accused the two officials of “collusion” with the UK-based SIS Live and Zoom Communications. The report stated that the two companies, given contract for production and coverage of CWG, had benefited by `135 crore due to the “collusion”. The report had also accused Lalli and Sharma of “acts of omission and commission which facilitated this wrong doing.