Himachal CM gives clean chit to ministers and MLAs in Assembly on corruption issue
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu has given a clean chit to his ministers and MLAs on the issue of corruption.
Almost four decades after being booked in a disproportionate asset (DA) case, a retired executive engineer was found guilty under relevant sections of Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) and was sentenced to two years’ rigorous imprisonment, the Odisha vigilance directorate officials said on Thursday.
The DA case was registered against the convicted executive engineer, Command Area Development, Gangadhar Sahoo on 9 March, 1984, about 38 years back.
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Sahoo was 35-years-old when he was booked under PCA and faced trial. When Biswajit Das, Special Judge of Special court in Bhubaneswar convicted yesterday, Sahoo was 73 in the twilight of life having retired from government service about 15 years back.
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The Special Court Judge Das pronouncing the verdict yesterday found Sahoo guilty of possession of disproportionate assets worth Rs.4,06,220 (Rupees four lakh six thousand two hundred twenty) to his known sources of income and sentenced him to undergo Rigorous Imprisonment for a period of 2 years and to pay fine of Rs.20,000 and in default of payment of fine, to undergo Rigorous Imprisonment for a further period of 3 months for the offence under section 5(2) r/w 5(1)(e) P.C. Act, 1947, said Ajit Kumar Pattnaik, Public Prosecutor Special Court, Bhubaneswar.
“The delay in the pronouncement of the judgment was due to various legal technicalities. The verdict was delivered in accordance with PC act, 1947 provisions. However, a new anti-corruption law was enacted in 1988. As Sahoo was tried as per the old law, it was one of the factors for delayed judgment. Besides, in the eighties, there were fewer special courts to try cases of corruption. Thus, there was heavy load on courts for adjudicating cases”, PP Pattnaik observed.
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