Preliminary investigations by the CBI into the functioning of the office of the Director General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) has found evidence of “gross abuse and misuse of public office” by V K Sibal who resigned as DGH last week, days before the end of his five-year term.

Sibal allegedly had a “nexus with private parties, obtaining pecuniary advantage in award of contracts and supply of information of sensitive data of resources”, the CBI informed the Petroleum Ministry.

The agency asked the “competent authority” in the Ministry for permission to investigate further the alleged offences by Sibal during his tenure as the country’s deemed regulator for the upstream exploration sector, but had not, until last Saturday, received a reply. The CBI had, on October 23, informed the Central Vigilance Commission that its probe into documents submitted by the CVC — as well as some accessed by the CBI — had substantiated allegations of Sibal’s links with key players in the oil and gas business.

Based on the CBI’s report which recommended registration of cases, the CVC on October 27 rejected Vigilance clearance for a second term for Sibal as DGH.

The contents of the CBI’s preliminary investigation report to the Petroleum Ministry are included in a letter from the Ministry to the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT).

“CBI has further informed that the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas is being requested for grant of permission of the competent authority under Section 6(A) of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act of 1946 as a thorough probe is required into the matter,” says the letter, written by Joint Secretary (Exploration) on October 28. The letter sought the withdrawal of the Ministry’s earlier proposal for a second term for Sibal. The proposal — attested by Petroleum Minister Murli Deora — had been sent to the DoPT despite the knowledge that the CVC had asked the CBI to inquire into Sibal’s alleged wrongdoings. In fact, the October 5 request for an extension of Sibal’s tenure until January 2012 had mentioned that clearance from the CVC was still “awaited”.

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