Prasar Bharati CEO suspended

B S Lalli , the chief executive of India’s largest public broadcaster, was suspended on Tuesday after being caught up in a corruption scandal over the Commonwealth Games (CWG) telecast rights.

President Pratibha Patil signed the order of suspension after the country’s Central Vigilance Commission accused Lalli of financial and administrative mismanagement of Prasar Bharati.

He was in the centre of allegations over the controversial decision to give the Rs 246-crore broadcast deal to SIS Live despite discrepant banking documents and tax irregularities charged on the UK-based firm.

Lalli, who assumed the CEO’s office in December 2006, can only be removed only after the President sanctions a Supreme Court inquiry as per the Prasar Bharati Act.