CBI books senior patent official, predecessor for demanding bribe

CHENNAI: The anti-corruption branch of the CBI has booked a senior official in the Chennai office of Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks and his predecessor for demanding bribes to give patents to a private company.
Dr SP Subramaniyan, the deputy controller and branch head in the office of Patents and Designs in Anna Nagar, and his predecessor, TV Madhusudhan, have been booked for criminal conspiracy and taking bribe.
In 2015, Subramaniyan demanded a bribe of Rs 3 lakh from GR Kaliaperumal, proprietor of Radha Decors in Puducherry, for issuing patent rights to his invention 'A composition, ornamental plaster mould and method of preparing the said mould thereon'. He submitted the design in 2010, but he was allegedly made to wait for five years. The patent was awarded to him after he gave the bribe.
Later, Subramaniyan allegedly asked Kaliapermual to issue legal notices to three entities-- M/s Hock Keng Heng Plaster Industrial (a Malaysian company), M/s Diamond international Inex Pvt Ltd in Gurgaon, M Jothi of Madurai and P Sunil of Chennai. These entities were importing the same technology for which the patent was given to Kaliaperumal, CBI said.
However, the companies filed a post-grant opposition case against Kaliaperumal for revoking the patent.
On June 9 last year, Subramaniyan and Madhusudhan demanded Rs 10 lakh from Kaliaperumal to decide the case in his favour. An order was passed against him because he allegedly could not give the bribe.
The CBI has also booked Kaliaperumal in the FIR.