The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on May 29 arrested Charan Pratap Singh, Deputy Registrar of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), Mumbai Bench, along with an associate, in connection with a bribery case involving a ₹3 lakh payoff for securing a favourable order in a pending case.

The arrests were made following a complaint filed by a hotel owner embroiled in a protracted ownership dispute with his brothers. The complainant had approached the NCLT’s Court No. IV in Mumbai on November 2, 2020, and the matter had remained unresolved since then.

According to the CBI’s preliminary findings, the Deputy Registrar allegedly contacted the complainant on May 11 and demanded a bribe of ₹3.5 lakh in return for leveraging his position and influence within the tribunal to sway the outcome. After negotiations, the amount was settled at ₹3 lakh.

Acting on the complaint lodged on May 14, the CBI set up a trap. On May 29, one of the accused was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe on behalf of the Deputy Registrar. The money included ₹1 lakh in genuine currency and ₹2 lakh in dummy notes used for evidentiary purposes.

Subsequently, Charan Pratap Singh was also taken into custody for his alleged involvement in the bribery.

The agency is currently conducting searches at multiple locations linked to the accused in Mumbai and Lucknow, aiming to gather additional evidence and identify any further individuals connected to the case.