The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday filed a charge sheet against 77 accused persons, including six former district judges, in the Provident Fund scam case that had jolted the judiciary two years ago.
The agency had taken up the investigation in the case on October 1, 2008 on the orders of the Supreme Court against 83 accused persons. The case related to fraudulent provident fund withdrawal made in the name of Class IV employees of the district court, Ghaziabad, U.P., during 2001-2008.
Investigation established that 781 treasury cheques amounting to Rs.7.92 crore were issued in the names of Class IV employees of district court, Ghaziabad pertaining to GPF withdrawal from April 2000 to February 2008. Out of the 781 instances, 482 treasury cheques amounting to Rs. 6.58 crore were found to have been drawn fraudulently, the CBI spokesperson said here.
It was also found during the probe that one of the key accused Ashutosh Asthana, a bill clerk and Central Nazir in district court, Ghaziabad, who died in judicial custody, had allegedly abused his official position and entered into a criminal conspiracy with the six judges and 71 others with an intent to cheat the district court, Ghaziabad by fraudulently and dishonestly withdrawing Rs. 6.58 crore in the name of GPF of Class IV employees, allegedly using them as genuine.
The CBI filed the charge sheet in the court of Special CBI Judge, A.K. Singh, Ghaziabad, under Sections 120-B, 420, 467 and 471 of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 13 (2) and (1) (d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 against the accused persons.
The agency said that it did not find any prosecutable offence against 41 other judges or judicial officers, 32 private persons, seven Class III employees and 36 Class IV employees of the district court, Ghaziabad. This includes 19 persons against whom the local police had filed charge sheet and five persons who were named in the FIR but not charge-sheeted till date. Their names have been recommended for discharge under Section 169 of the Cr.PC.
The CBI said the untimely death of Ashutosh Asthana caused a serious setback to the investigation as his confessional statement was vital to prove the missing links in the sequence of events.
“Despite this and the fact that a large number of documents in this case were missing, the CBI completed the investigation in the most professional manner taking the setbacks as challenges,'' the agency claimed.
