3-Yr RI To Co-ops Bank Officials For Selling Land At Throwaway Price In Bhopal

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The District and Sessions Court here on Friday convicted District Co-operative and Rural Development Bank officials under Prevention of Corruption Act and awarded them 3 years of rigorous imprisonment.

The officials have been found guilty under Sections 420, 467, 471, 120-B IPC 13-1(D) read with 13(2) of the Act. The special court of Manoj Kumar Singh passed the order.

According to special prosecution Hemlata Kushwah, sales officer Vijendra Kaushal, joint registrar Ashok Kumar Mishra, co-operatives inspector APS Kushwaha, Kiran Agarwal, Komal Lolla have been sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment. The court has slapped a fine of Rs 2,000 on each accused.

Villagers of Bagonia, Kalyanpur had complained to Lokayukta police that District Co-operatives Agriculture and Rural Development Bank Limited, Bhopal, officials had auctioned agricultural land at a throwaway price without following the rules and conditions for recovery of loan from movable and immovable property in village Barkheda Nathu, Ratibad.

In this case, about 4.92 acres of land of village Bakaniya in Huzur tehsil was auctioned for Rs 1.5 lakh on January 4, 2007. The land belonged to farmer Ashok Kumar Sharma who had taken a loan of Rs 29,000 in 1995 for motor pump.