Kerala - Kozhikode   

Jail term for former government employee

KOZHIKODE: The Kozhikode Vigilance Inquiry Commissioner and Special Judge on Wednesday sentenced a former Dairy Extension Officer to two years rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs. 20,000 for siphoning off a sum of Rs. 1.82 lakh eight years ago.

Writing the judgement the Special Judge M.K. Kuttikrishnan found the former government employee P.K. Ravindranathan, 57, from Parappangandi, Malappuram district, under Section 13 (1) ( criminal misconduct by a public servant) and Section 13 (2) (abusing position as a public servant and obtaining for himself valuable thing or pecuniary advantage) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. If he failed to pay the penalty he will have to undergo an additional two years in prison.

During his tenure as Dairy Extension Officer at Mankada, Malappuram district in 1999-2000 Ravindranathan siphoned off Rs 1.82 lakh that had been set aside for implementing the Centrally- sponsored National Watershed Development Project Rainfed Areas ( NWDPRA). The amount was allotted to be distributed to dairy farmers for cultivating grass. The accused had forged vouchers to drain the amount.

Ravindranathan was also the implementing officer for the NWDPRA at Mankada.

The Malappuram Vigilance and Anti Corruption Bureau had arrested Ravindranathan in the case. He was absconding after he secured a conditional bail. Later he was caught and remanded to judicial custody. The court then refused to grant him bail.

At present Ravindranathan is an under trial prisoner at the Kannur Central Prison for the past one year. The period he was lodged in prison would also be taken into account for punishment in the case, the court observed.

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