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Steel Ministry Picks Two Tainted Faces On Boards
No sooner did the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) come to power under the leadership of Narendra Modi than it strongly pledged to apply “Zero Tolerance Policy Towards Corruption”. But as a matter of fact, it was merely a (جُمْلَہ) Jumla of Modi Sarkaar.
Recent two appointments on the Board of two Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) under the Ministry of Steel seem to corroborate this fake ‘Jumla’ theory.
Despite ongoing cases of corruption, the Government of India appointed Vishwanath Suresh to the top post of Chairman-cum-Managing Director, MOIL Limited.
Is there dearth of honest officers or corruption is the new norm for selection to top posts? An allegedly corrupt officer was appointed to the high level post.
During his tenure as RM/NR, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), he supplied about 1,00,000 tonne of steel to fake projects; laid the foundation of supplying SWR14 Grade Blooms to Avon Steel Industries P Ltd at exorbitantly low prices & supplied about 1,00,000 Tonne of Blooms to Avon during his tenure as RM/NR; Sources claim that SAIL lost Rs 500 CR.
Suresh joined SAIL in 1991 and rose to become Regional Manager(RM) of Northern Region (NR) of CMO-SAIL in Jan 2019. It may be noted that RM is a key post in SAIL which is entrusted with the authority to approve the reduced prices for the Projects/FAKE Projects. Before taking over as RM/NR, he worked as Branch Manager of four branches of NR viz. Ludhiana, Delhi, Faridabad & Ghaziabad.
Though a South Indian, but spent a major part of his career in SAIL in NCR i.e. close to the power centre. Given his knack of favouring private firms at the cost of SAIL, management found him overqualified for the job of RM/NR. Around July 2021 he was promoted by SAIL management to Executive Director (Coal Import Group) of SAIL and subsequently he was selected as Director Commercial NMDC in November 2022. It may be noted that SAIL imports over 15 million tonnes of Coal annually which is handled by the Coal Import Group.
It is noteworthy that the name of V Suresh was cleared by Appointments of the Committee of Cabinet (ACC) led by the Prime Minister for the post of CMD, MOIL on January 7, 2026.
He was selected for the post by Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) on October 4, 2025, although he was under CBI scanner in the case of supplies to Venkatesh Infra Projects P Ltd and Avon Steel Industries P Ltd and had a major role as business with both the firms was transacted by the Northern Region when he was the Regional Manager there, the key decision maker.
He was among the suspended officers. The salary difference for the suspension period is still not paid to him. It is noteworthy that ex-Chairman SAIL Soma Mondal was among the Members of PESB who selected him for the post of CMD MOIL. By virtue of being alleged in the same CBI cases which are still going on, the selection raises many question marks and ACC approval many more. It was under Directorship of Soma only, the alleged transactions with the above two firms had taken place in SAIL.
As if above was suffice, yet another officer involved in the sale of steel to Fake Projects has been recently elevated to the Board of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). He has been appointed as Director Commercial (SAIL).
A must-read story behind the appointment of Director Commercial, SAIL is that the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) had advertised the vacancy of this post last year. As many as 12 persons were shortlisted to be interviewed and SAIL CGM, Natarajan had also reportedly applied for the post but he was not called for the interview.
Since the Ministry of Steel wanted to install Natarajan as Director Commercial on the Board of SAIL. Acting in line with the Ministry, the PESB dramatically declared that no suitable candidate had been found for the same after interviewing 12 candidates on August 6, 2025. The PESB’s order:
“The Board did not recommend any candidate for the post and advised the Administrative Ministry/Department to choose an appropriate course of further action for selection including the Search cum Selection Committee (SCSC) or as deemed appropriate with the approval of the competent authority”
Later on, the Ministry of Steel set up a Search-cum-Selection Committee (SCSC) and recommended the name of T N Natarajan, CGM (Sales) and Regional Manager, Western Region, SAIL, for the post of Director (Commercial), Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) on January 9, 2026.
More interestingly, the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has approved the proposal of his appointment to the post on March 18, 2026, ignoring his misdeeds.
During his tenure as RM/WR he supplied about 1,00,000 Tonne to FAKE Projects; All these supplies are after complaint of Venkatesh Infra Projects P Ltd was in public domain and Ministry has already endorsed CBI investigations in the same and directed SAIL to initiate RDA against M C Agarwal; Dumps LOKPAL order dated Jan 10, 2024. Keeps supplying to Fake Projects; even suspension of 29 officers could not deter him; About 40,000 Tonne sold to FAKE Projects after LOKPAL’s order dated Jan 10, 2024.
Natrajan joined SAIL in 1993 at its Bhilai Steel Plant. In 2003, he moved to the Central Marketing Organisation of SAIL. In Jan 2022, he was moved to Mumbai as Regional Business Manager of Western Region and in July 2023 he was given the additional charge of Regional Manager of Western Region (RM-WR). Subsequently he was made RM-WR. After his selection as Director (Commercial) he was moved to Delhi in the Director (Commercial)’s office.
The issue is not merely about one individual’s elevation, but about what it signals to the system.
If an officer facing serious vigilance scrutiny can still be appointed to a top position, then the very purpose of vigilance clearance stands diluted. It risks becoming a procedural formality rather than a meaningful safeguard. Vigilance is meant to inspire confidence that those entrusted with authority are beyond reasonable doubt—not merely beyond technical indictment.
Public sector institutions like SAIL carry a higher burden of trust. Decisions at that level must not only be legally defensible but also ethically unimpeachable. When appointments proceed despite pending questions, it sends a troubling message—that accountability can wait, but elevation cannot.
Ultimately, governance is sustained not by rules alone, but by credibility. And credibility, once eroded, is difficult to restore.
Despite ongoing cases of corruption, the Government of India appointed Vishwanath Suresh to the top post of Chairman-cum-Managing Director, MOIL Limited.
Is there dearth of honest officers or corruption is the new norm for selection to top posts? An allegedly corrupt officer was appointed to the high level post.
During his tenure as RM/NR, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), he supplied about 1,00,000 tonne of steel to fake projects; laid the foundation of supplying SWR14 Grade Blooms to Avon Steel Industries P Ltd at exorbitantly low prices & supplied about 1,00,000 Tonne of Blooms to Avon during his tenure as RM/NR; Sources claim that SAIL lost Rs 500 CR.
Suresh joined SAIL in 1991 and rose to become Regional Manager(RM) of Northern Region (NR) of CMO-SAIL in Jan 2019. It may be noted that RM is a key post in SAIL which is entrusted with the authority to approve the reduced prices for the Projects/FAKE Projects. Before taking over as RM/NR, he worked as Branch Manager of four branches of NR viz. Ludhiana, Delhi, Faridabad & Ghaziabad.
Though a South Indian, but spent a major part of his career in SAIL in NCR i.e. close to the power centre. Given his knack of favouring private firms at the cost of SAIL, management found him overqualified for the job of RM/NR. Around July 2021 he was promoted by SAIL management to Executive Director (Coal Import Group) of SAIL and subsequently he was selected as Director Commercial NMDC in November 2022. It may be noted that SAIL imports over 15 million tonnes of Coal annually which is handled by the Coal Import Group.
It is noteworthy that the name of V Suresh was cleared by Appointments of the Committee of Cabinet (ACC) led by the Prime Minister for the post of CMD, MOIL on January 7, 2026.
He was selected for the post by Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) on October 4, 2025, although he was under CBI scanner in the case of supplies to Venkatesh Infra Projects P Ltd and Avon Steel Industries P Ltd and had a major role as business with both the firms was transacted by the Northern Region when he was the Regional Manager there, the key decision maker.
He was among the suspended officers. The salary difference for the suspension period is still not paid to him. It is noteworthy that ex-Chairman SAIL Soma Mondal was among the Members of PESB who selected him for the post of CMD MOIL. By virtue of being alleged in the same CBI cases which are still going on, the selection raises many question marks and ACC approval many more. It was under Directorship of Soma only, the alleged transactions with the above two firms had taken place in SAIL.
As if above was suffice, yet another officer involved in the sale of steel to Fake Projects has been recently elevated to the Board of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). He has been appointed as Director Commercial (SAIL).
A must-read story behind the appointment of Director Commercial, SAIL is that the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) had advertised the vacancy of this post last year. As many as 12 persons were shortlisted to be interviewed and SAIL CGM, Natarajan had also reportedly applied for the post but he was not called for the interview.
Since the Ministry of Steel wanted to install Natarajan as Director Commercial on the Board of SAIL. Acting in line with the Ministry, the PESB dramatically declared that no suitable candidate had been found for the same after interviewing 12 candidates on August 6, 2025. The PESB’s order:
“The Board did not recommend any candidate for the post and advised the Administrative Ministry/Department to choose an appropriate course of further action for selection including the Search cum Selection Committee (SCSC) or as deemed appropriate with the approval of the competent authority”
Later on, the Ministry of Steel set up a Search-cum-Selection Committee (SCSC) and recommended the name of T N Natarajan, CGM (Sales) and Regional Manager, Western Region, SAIL, for the post of Director (Commercial), Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) on January 9, 2026.
More interestingly, the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has approved the proposal of his appointment to the post on March 18, 2026, ignoring his misdeeds.
During his tenure as RM/WR he supplied about 1,00,000 Tonne to FAKE Projects; All these supplies are after complaint of Venkatesh Infra Projects P Ltd was in public domain and Ministry has already endorsed CBI investigations in the same and directed SAIL to initiate RDA against M C Agarwal; Dumps LOKPAL order dated Jan 10, 2024. Keeps supplying to Fake Projects; even suspension of 29 officers could not deter him; About 40,000 Tonne sold to FAKE Projects after LOKPAL’s order dated Jan 10, 2024.
Natrajan joined SAIL in 1993 at its Bhilai Steel Plant. In 2003, he moved to the Central Marketing Organisation of SAIL. In Jan 2022, he was moved to Mumbai as Regional Business Manager of Western Region and in July 2023 he was given the additional charge of Regional Manager of Western Region (RM-WR). Subsequently he was made RM-WR. After his selection as Director (Commercial) he was moved to Delhi in the Director (Commercial)’s office.
The issue is not merely about one individual’s elevation, but about what it signals to the system.
If an officer facing serious vigilance scrutiny can still be appointed to a top position, then the very purpose of vigilance clearance stands diluted. It risks becoming a procedural formality rather than a meaningful safeguard. Vigilance is meant to inspire confidence that those entrusted with authority are beyond reasonable doubt—not merely beyond technical indictment.
Public sector institutions like SAIL carry a higher burden of trust. Decisions at that level must not only be legally defensible but also ethically unimpeachable. When appointments proceed despite pending questions, it sends a troubling message—that accountability can wait, but elevation cannot.
Ultimately, governance is sustained not by rules alone, but by credibility. And credibility, once eroded, is difficult to restore.
