Rs 50,000 per audit, Rs 2.5 lakh in a packet: CBI case against DGCA officer

CBI said the DGCA officer told his wife that day that the organisation's director had given him a packet containing five bundles of currency notes amounting to Rs 2.5 lakh. (File photo)

A senior officer of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) allegedly sought Rs 50,000 per audit from the director of a flight training organisation to issue airworthiness certificates for aircraft it operated, without ensuring full compliance with prescribed airworthiness and safety requirements, according to a probe.

On Sunday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Sushil Kumar Garg, Deputy Director (Airworthiness), DGCA, posted in Chennai, and Ekvi Air Training Organisation Private Limited director Sachin Keshav Bhane in connection with an alleged bribery case.

The agency alleged that Garg demanded and accepted a bribe of Rs 2.5 lakh to extend undue favours in the airworthiness certification of aircraft operated by the private firm.

According to the First Information Report (FIR) registered on October 3, Ekvi Air Training Organisation, registered with the Registrar of Companies, Mumbai, and based in Thane, Maharashtra, operates a fleet of seven aircraft, with its training base at Salem Airport in Tamil Nadu.

The FIR said Garg conducted an airworthiness audit or inspection of the company’s aircraft on July 31. It alleges that he sought a bribe in return for a favourable audit report, without properly inspecting the aircraft and overlooking certain deficiencies observed in the fleet. However, he could not collect the amount on that occasion because he was accompanied by a senior officer.

“On September 23 and September 26, Garg told the company he would visit its training facility in the first week of October 2026 and collect the payment from its representatives, and that Bhane would be present at Salem during the visit. Later, they negotiated on October 2 and settled at Rs 50,000 per audit. Garg had previously received a mobile phone worth approximately Rs 50,000 from Bhane,” the FIR alleged.

The FIR alleged that Garg told his wife that day that Bhane had given him a packet containing five bundles of currency notes amounting to Rs 2.5 lakh.

Mahender Singh Manral is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. He is known for his impactful and breaking stories. He covers the Ministry of Home Affairs, Investigative Agencies, National Investigative Agency, Central Bureau of Investigation, Law Enforcement Agencies, Paramilitary Forces, and internal security. Prior to this, Manral had extensively reported on city-based crime stories along with that he also covered the anti-corruption branch of the Delhi government for a decade. He is known for his knack for News and a detailed understanding of stories. He also worked with Mail Today as a senior correspondent for eleven months. He has also worked with The Pioneer for two years where he was exclusively covering crime beat. During his initial days of the career he also worked with The Statesman newspaper in the national capital, where he was entrusted with beats like crime, education, and the Delhi Jal Board. A graduate in Mass Communication, Manral is always in search of stories that impact lives. ... Read More