Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 8: Special Judge Anticorruption Jammu, A K Koul today awarded two years rigorous imprisonment to Sita Ram, the then Senior Assistant and Kuldeep Kumar, the then helper in JDA in a corruption case.
According to the Vigilance Organization case, on June 15, 1994, an application was submitted to JDA by one Sat Paul Sharma for allotment of a plot of land measuring 20 feet x 40 feet in Digiana Housing Colony. The request of the allottee fructified and Plot No.63, measuring 20 x 40 feet, was allotted to him in Digiana Housing Colony.
The allottee deposited an amount of Rs 1000 towards part premium and he was required to pay a further premium of Rs 2500. In response to the allotment order so issued in his favour, the allottee submitted a bank draft amounting to Rs 2500 towards the remaining premium.
Notwithstanding the fulfillment of condition of payment of premium of Rs 2500 the possession of the allotted plot could not be handed over to the allottee on account of some legal dispute and in lieu of the Plot No.63 allotted to him in Digiana Housing Colony, Plot No.5 measuring 16.6 feet x 30 feet, in Phase-IV of Housing Colony Paloura was allotted to the him at a premium of Rs 9900.
Since the allottee had deposited Rs 3500 already as premium for Plot at Digiana, which amount was lying with JDA and a further sum of Rs 3205 was added to the premium so deposited by the allottee as interest which had accrued on deposited amount and accordingly the premium plus interest (Rs.3500+3205) was set off against the total premium payable by the allottee, he was required to deposit Rs 3195 only within thirty days. The allottee could not do so consequently the possession of the plot was not handed over to him.
After hearing CPO Harminder Singh whereas Advocate MK Gupta for the accused, Special Judge Anticorruption Jammu observed, “the accused in this case worked on their nefarious plan for some time and did everything at their command to take it to its logical end but ultimately they failed to do so though in the culminating phase but they never thought of the consequences which they may have to face at the end of the day”.
“It is trite that holders of public office are entrusted with certain duties and powers, which duties have to be discharged, and powers exercised, in the public interest only and any breach thereof results in an abuse to the public office. Any public servant deviating from the path of rectitude runs the risk of loosing the public trust to be followed by penal consequences”, the court said.
“So ordinarily the accused do not deserve any sympathy so for as the quantum of punishment is concerned but then there is still a mitigating factor in the sense that one of the accused is around 66 years old and another one is about 45 years. The accused as such deserve a slight leniency while deciding the commensurate punishment to be imposed”, the court said.
With these observations, court awarded two years imprisonment to both the accused.
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