CBI arrests DGCA official, aviation firm director in Rs 2.5 lakh bribery case

The CBI has arrested a DGCA Deputy Director and a private aviation company director in Tamil Nadu over Rs 2.5 lakh bribe linked to airworthiness certification of aircraft operated by the company.

In Short

• Sachin Keshav Bhane, director of Ekvi Air Training, also arrested
• Bribe linked to airworthiness certification of company aircraft
• Similar DGCA bribery case involved Rs 2.5 lakh bribe for drone import approvals

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a Deputy Director of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), posted in Chennai, and the director of a private aviation company in connection with an alleged Rs 2.5 lakh bribery case.

The accused DGCA officer, Sushil Kumar Garg, Deputy Director (Airworthiness), DGCA, Chennai, was allegedly caught accepting Rs 2.5 lakh in Tamil Nadu. Sachin Keshav Bhane, Director of M/s Ekvi Air Training Organisation Pvt. Ltd., has also been arrested in connection with the case.

The CBI has registered a case against Garg, Bhane, M/s Ekvi Air Training Organisation Pvt. Ltd. and others over allegations of demanding and accepting illegal gratification in exchange for extending undue favour in the airworthiness certification of aircraft operated by the company.

WHAT IS THE CASE ABOUT

According to the CBI case, Sushil Kumar Garg allegedly demanded illegal gratification in connection with the airworthiness certification of aircraft operated by M/s Ekvi Air Training Organisation Pvt. Ltd.

Garg allegedly accepted Rs 2.5 lakh as part of the bribe. Both Garg and Bhane have been arrested in connection with the case.

Further details about the CBI's action and the investigation are awaited.

SIMILAR DGCA BRIBERY CASE

The latest arrests come against the backdrop of another bribery case involving senior DGCA officials and a private corporate executive.

In that case, the CBI arrested Mudavath Devula, Deputy Director General at the Airworthiness Directorate of the DGCA, and Bharat Mathur, a senior vice president of a major corporate group, in connection with an alleged Rs 2.5 lakh bribe linked to approvals for drone imports.

The case was registered on April 18, 2026, following allegations that Devula demanded an undue advantage from private entities in exchange for clearing pending applications and granting regulatory approvals for a private aerospace firm involved in drone imports.

The CBI arrested both accused during an operation and recovered the entire alleged bribe amount.

Searches were also conducted at four locations in Delhi linked to the accused public servant and other private individuals. During the searches, the agency seized Rs 37 lakh in cash, gold and silver coins, and several digital devices.

- Ends