The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a corruption case against Tata Consulting Engineers Limited, a former Chief Manager of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), and other private companies over an alleged ₹800 crore scam involving dredging contracts.
According to officials, the case stems from a preliminary inquiry that revealed deep-rooted collusion between JNPT officials and private contractors. The accused allegedly inflated project estimates, manipulated tenders to favour specific international bidders, and ignored independent expert reports to extend undue favours to select contractors.
The irregularities are linked to Phase I of the port project (2003–2014) and Phase II (2013–2019), with estimated wrongful losses of ₹365.90 crore and ₹438 crore, respectively, due to over-dredging. The CBI stated that criminal conspiracy, cheating, and abuse of official position led to massive losses to the exchequer.
The FIR has been filed under sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act against the then JNPT chief manager, Tata Consulting Engineers Ltd, a project director at TCE, and private firms based in Bandra Kurla Complex and Chennai.
