NEW DELHI, Sept 1:
The CBI today sought stringent punishment for seven convicts, including four MCD officials, in a Delhi court which said it would tomorrow pronounce the sentence for conspiring to cause a loss of Rs 1.4 crore to the exchequer in the 2010 Commonwealth Games street lighting scam.
Special CBI Judge Brijesh Garg heard arguments of the CBI prosecutor and counsel for the convicts on quantum of sentence and fixed the case for tomorrow to pronounce the order.
“Arguments on sentence heard. Defence counsel sought time to submit relevant judgments. Put up for pronouncement of quantum of sentence tomorrow,” the court said.
This is the first case relating to the CWG scam which has been decided by the court.
During the arguments, CBI prosecutor Praneet Sharma contended that the convicts had caused a loss of over Rs 1.42 crore to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and maximum punishment of seven years should be awarded to them.
Citing Supreme Court judgments, Sharma argued that a lenient view should not be taken by the court towards convicts especially in corruption cases.
The court had convicted MCD Superintendent Engineer D K Sugan, Executive Engineer O P Mahla, Accountant Raju V and the civic body’s tender clerk Gurcharan Singh, besides private firm Sweska Powertech Engineering Pvt Ltd, its Managing Director T P Singh and Director J P Singh who were illegally favoured in the award of street-lighting contract during the games.
They were held guilty for various offences including criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery of valuable security, forgery for purpose of cheating, using forged documents as genuine under the IPC and Section 13(1)(d)(criminal misconduct by public servant by corrupt means and abusing position) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Counsel for the six convicted persons sought leniency in punishment saying they had no criminal antecedents and have already spent around 11 months in jail during the trial.
52-year-old Sugan’s counsel said he was suffering from diabetes and has to support his family including a college- going daughter and a paralytic father. He said Sugan had bagged an award for constructing building in civic centre.
The counsel added that no departmental enquiry was pending against Sudan and he be given a lighter punishment.
Similarly, advocate for Mahla said that no departmental enquiry and blame record was there against his client and he had received appreciation award in a slaughter house project. Advocate P K Dubey, appearing for 53-year-old T P Singh and 48-year-old J P Singh, prayed that they be released on the period already spent by them behind bars, claiming it was they who had suffered loss and not the MCD. (PTI)
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