A Delhi court has sentenced six persons, including four public servants, to four years’ rigorous imprisonment each in one of the ₹4,000 crore co-operative group housing scam cases.
The main accused in the case, then Registrar of the Registrar of Cooperative Society (RCS) Narayan Diwakar, and another accused had been discharged in the case at the stage of charge framing.
CBI probe
“Convicts Faiz Mohd, Ram Nath, Balam Singh Aswal and P.K. Thirwani are sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for a period of 4 years each along with fine of ₹1 lakh each for the offence under Section 13 (2) read with Section 13 (1) (d) (ii) & (iii) the Prevention of Corruption Act.,” Special Judge Virender Bhat said in his sentence order.
“Convict Shri Chand is sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for a period of 4 years along with a fine of ₹1 lakh for the offence under Section 420 IPC. Convict Anna Wankhede is sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for a period of 4 years along with fine of ₹1 lakh for the offences under Section 468/471 IPC,” the Judge further said.
However, Shri Chand and Anna Wankhede, an employee of Shri Chand, will have to cough up ₹2 lakh fine each as they were also sentenced for other offences under IPC.
The CBI had registered the case on October 31, 2005 on a Delhi High Court direction on a petition directing the probe agency to conduct thorough investigation relating to 135 Cooperative Group Housing Societies including Sri Madhuvana CGHS (the group housing society involved in the present case).
Criminal conspiracy
The CBI alleged that the accused persons had entered into a criminal conspiracy with the object to fraudulently revive Sri Madhuvana CGHS Ltd. Society on the basis of false and forged documents in order to cheat the DDA. The RCS had placed Sri Madhuvana CGHS Ltd. Society under liquidation as it was was not functional.
“The CBI has succeeded in proving beyond reasonable doubt that the four accused — Faiz Mohd., Ram Nath, Balam Singh Aswal and P.K. Thirwani — have abused their position as public servants in order to ensure pecuniary advantage for accused Shrichand without any public interest. It cannot be gainsaid that no public interest is involved in revival of the defunct Housing Society on the basis of forged documents,’’the Judge said while convicting them.
“...It is manifest beyond reasonable doubt the accused had been acting in collusion with Shrichand to ensure that Shrichand obtains pecuniary advantage by getting the defunct Housing Society revived on the basis of false and forged documents so that the land allotted to the Society by DDA would be available to Shrichand for his use,’’ the Judge added.
