LUCKNOW, April 8 -- The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered an FIR against a Northern Railway official in Lucknow for allegedly demanding a bribe to release a permission letter, officials said on Tuesday. The FIR was lodged on Monday (April 6) against assistant commercial manager Vineet Katiyar following a complaint by Vinod Kumar Singh, a retired travelling ticket examiner (TTE) from Varanasi. Singh alleged that he had applied for renewal of his automatic ticket vending machine (ATVM) permit, which had been approved but not handed over to him. It was alleged in the complaint that the accused officer demanded Rs.50,000 to release the permission letter and threatened to cancel it if the payment was not made. After verification, the CBI found prima facie evidence supporting the allegation. The case has been registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (amended in 2018). According to CBI officials, no arrest has been made in this connection so far. However, the agency conducted a raid at the accused officer's residence. Further probe into the case is under way. htc...