Madras HC Confirms CBI Appeal in Corruption Case, Sentences Five to Five Years in Prison
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Synopsis
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has upheld a CBI appeal, sentencing five individuals to five years of rigorous imprisonment and imposing a total penalty of Rs 27 lakh for corruption linked to the Debts Recovery Tribunal.
Key Takeaways
- The Madras High Court sentenced five individuals to five years in prison.
- They were involved in a corruption case linked to property pricing.
- A total penalty of Rs 27 lakh was imposed.
- The case was first registered by the CBI in 2009.
- The Supreme Court has temporarily suspended the sentence.
Chennai, April 3 (NationPress) The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has upheld a CBI appeal, resulting in a sentence of five years of Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) for five individuals, including two former employees of a Debts Recovery Tribunal and a former bank manager, with a cumulative penalty of Rs 27 lakh, as reported by an official on Thursday.
The individuals found guilty include S. Kasimayan, the former Recovery Officer at the DRT, and Selvaraj, the former UDC at DRT, who were convicted of misusing their official roles to set a lower upset price or reserve price for properties compared to the actual market value.
According to allegations from the CBI, all accused conspired to inflict wrongful losses on both the bank and the property owner while unlawfully benefiting themselves.
In agreeing with the CBI’s appeal against a trial court's decision that had acquitted the accused, the High Court also issued a ruling against N. Venkeeshwaran, the former Branch Manager of Dhanalakshmi Bank in Madurai, along with two private individuals—R. Rajesh Kannan and R. Anitha, the wife of the accused UDC from DRT.
The case was registered by the CBI on March 30, 2009, concerning corruption allegations. It was reported that Kasimayan had fraudulently set the upset prices of properties significantly lower than the market value in 2008.
Following the investigation, the CBI submitted a chargesheet on June 6, 2011. The trial court acquitted all accused on December 7, 2016.
The High Court, supporting the CBI's appeal, sentenced the accused and imposed a fine of Rs 6 lakh on both Kasimayan and Venkeeshwaran.
Selvaraj, the former UDC of DRT, along with the two private individuals, were instructed to pay a fine of Rs 5 lakh each.
Prior to the sentencing by the High Court, the accused sought relief from the Supreme Court, which granted a suspension of the sentence for three weeks starting from March 27.
