Title - WR’s hypocrisy laid bare in black and white

It's been two months since disgraced Western Railway general manager Mahesh Kumar was arrested on bribery charges, but a public notice bearing his name and title continues to greet commuters at Mumbai Central station.

Ironically, the notice, painted on a black background, urges commuters to report demands for bribes from railway officials to Kumar.

"Do not pay bribes. If anybody demands a bribe or you have information about a bribe seeker, you can complain to Mahesh Kumar, general manager," reads the notice, painted in English, Hindi and Marathi on a wall outside senior divisional commercial manager's office.

Railway officials say the warning, painted last year, cannot be changed or removed until the painter's contract is renewed.

Kumar was arrested by the CBI on May 3 for landing a higher railway position after allegedly paying a bribe of Rs 90 lakh to the then Union railway minister Pawan Kumar Bansal's nephew.

Kumar wanted to become a member (electrical) on the Railway Board, the top decision-making body of the Indian Railways. The position would have given him the authority to take calls on railway contracts worth hundreds of crore.

"It's sad that despite his alleged involvement in the crash-for-promotion scam, Kumar's name continues to be on the notice against paying bribes," said Subhash Gupta, a member of the National Railway Users' Consultative Committee, a forum of government officials and citizens that suggests ways to improve railway services. "His name should have been struck out."

An official in Mumbai Central's commercial department said that the notice would be re-painted once the painter's contract was renewed. "It will be dealt with soon," he said.

After Kumar's arrest, R C Agarwal, North Western Railway general manager, has taken the additional charge of WR general manager.

It's not just notices at stations. The Western Railway's website also continues to name Kumar as its general manager. The site was last updated on December 7, 2012.

Kumar, meanwhile, continues to be in jail. The CBI on Tuesday filed a charge sheet against him and nine others, including Bansal's nephew Vijay Singla.