CURRUPT OFFICIALS GET READY TO BE BOOKED BEHIND BAR A former Deputy Director of MCD and five others have been convicted by a Delhi court in a corruption case for clearing bogus bills of over Rs 40 lakh raised by a private firm for tree plantation in 2001-02. The court held guilty Ishwar Singh, former Deputy Director of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Ajaz Ahmad, Section Officer in MCD and three contractors Surinder Bhanot, Nitin Gupta and Satinder Panwar and Ankur Gupta. Special Judge Sangita Dhingra Sehgal held that the two public servants entered into criminal conspiracy with coaccused Bhanot, proprietor of United Enterprises, Nitin Gupta, proprietor of Vishakha Gupta, Panwar, proprietor of Jai Traders and Ankur Gupta, Proprietor of A G Construction to cause loss to the tune of Rs 40-50 lakh to MCD. The court convicted all the accused for the offences of cheating, forgery, using forged documents as genuine and criminal conspiracy. It also convicted the two DDA officials for “having obtained pecuniary advantage by corrupt or illegal means being public servants”. All the offences entail a maximum punishment of seven years imprisonment. “All the accused persons are convicted under sections 420(cheating), 468(forgery), 471 (using forged documents) of the IPC read with Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) IPC as in pursuance of the criminal conspiracy accused Ishwar Singh, the then Deputy Director, MCD and accused Ajaz Ahmed, the then Section Officer, MCD being public servants certified doing of work of tree plantation, digging of pits and fixing of tree guards, the contract of which was awarded to other accused Surinder Bhanot, Nitin Gupta, Satinder Panwar and Ankur Gupta,” the court said. The court added that the physical checking report indicated that there was either no or partial work done and “all the accused persons obtained wrongful gain for themselves and caused wrongful loss to MCD to the tune of Rs 4050 lakhs by cheating the MCD and by preparing false report by using the same as genuine and having reasons to believe the same to be forged”. “Accused Ishwar Singh and Ajaz Ahmad are also convicted for committing an offence punishable under section 13 (criminal misconduct by a public servant) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 for having obtained pecuniary advantage by corrupt or illegal means being public servants,” it said. The court would now hear arguments on the quantum of sentence. The accused had denied the charges against them saying they were falsly implicated in the case.
Posted on: Sat, 10 Aug 2013 12:12:36 +0000
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