Drone Approval Scandal Hits Major Indian Executives

An Indian court has extended the pre-trial detention of two key figures in a bribery investigation concerning drone import approvals, setting a new hearing date for May 6.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Mudavath Devula, a deputy director general of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, and Bharat Mathur, a senior vice president at Reliance, for allegedly accepting a $16,000 bribe to facilitate drone import clearances for Asteria Aerospace, a Reliance unit. The probe remains tight-lipped about the supplier involved.

The accused appeared briefly before a New Delhi court, and both deny the charges. Mathur's and Devula's counsel maintain their clients' innocence, while Reliance has distanced itself from the transaction. Asteria, part of Jio Platforms, saw significant revenue growth, raising questions about the business practices surrounding drone technology.