AIZAWL, Sept 5: The special court (prevention of corruption
Act) on Tuesday sentenced a junior engineer (JE) of Mizoram
public works department to four years imprisonment and
imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh in a graft case.
Special judge HTC Lalrinchhana had convicted C Lalfakawma
under Section 409 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under
Section 13 (2) read with 13(1)(a) of (Prevention of Corruption
Act, 1988 on Monday.
The special court sentenced Lalfakawma under Section 409
of IPC to two years in jail with a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
It also sentenced the convict under Section 13 (2) read with
13 (1) (a) of PC Act, 1988 to four years of imprisonment with
a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
"Since he has no previous criminal records, both the
sentences except the fines shall run concurrently. Period of
detention of the offender in judicial custody, which he had
already undergone (if any), shall be set off as enjoined by
Section 428 of CrPC," the judgment said.
The convicted person was remanded to judicial custody and
sent to the Aizawl Central Jail after pronouncement of the
quantum of punishment.
Criminal cases against Lalfakawma was initiated on May 20,
2020 when a deputy secretary of PWD submitted a complaint
to Mizoram Lokayukta to investigate allegations that he had
taken money from contractors while he was posted at
Khawzawl subdivision.
As instructed by the Lokayukta, the state Anti-Corruption
Bureau (ACB) registered criminal cases and began
investigations into allegations that the accused took Rs 17
lakh from a contractor constructing a PMGSY road between
Rabung and Aiduzawl and Rs 3 lakh from a sub-contractor in
2018.
Though the contractor and sub-contractor were declared as
hostile prosecution witnesses by the prosecutors, the
contractor admitted that he deposited Rs 17 lakh in the bank
account of the accused as a loan.
The sub-contractor said he borrowed Rs 8 lakh from the JE
and paid back Rs 11 lakh as Lalfakawma required another
loan of Rs 3 lakh. (PTI)
