A special court in Dehradun has sentenced eight officials to two years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a total fine of Rs 2.85 lakh in connection with a Rs 55 lakh Public Works Department (PWD) fraud case from 2003. The convicted former officials include Deepak Kumar Verma, Madan Pal, Mani Ram, Surendra Kumar Kaushik, Kasim, Sukhpal Singh, Chatar Singh, and Palu Das.
The case, initially registered by the CBI on August 9, 2003, was transferred to the agency by the Uttarakhand High Court in May 2003. The allegations involve fraudulent withdrawal of government funds through forged and unauthorized departmental cheques between 2001 and 2002 by certain PWD officials in Haridwar in collusion with private individuals.
The CBI filed a charge sheet on June 15, 2005, against a total of 12 public servants and eight private individuals accused in the case. During the trial, four accused individuals passed away, leading to the abatement of proceedings against them, while seven others pleaded guilty earlier and were convicted separately.
After the trial’s conclusion, the court convicted the remaining accused and handed down the sentences, acquitting Pradeep Kumar Verma, a private individual, of all charges.
