Indore: Meghdoot Garden Scam, Special Court convicts 9, including 3 former corporators

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A special court in Indore on Tuesday convicted nine persons, including three former corporators Suraj Kero, Rajendra Soni and Kailash Yadav in a 19-year-old Meghdoot Garden Scam Case.

The court of Special Judge (Lokayukta) Sanjay Kumar Gupta convicted the nine persons under IPC sections 471 (Using as genuine a forged document or electronic record), 466 (Forgery of record of Court or of public register, etc), 218 (Public servant framing incorrect record or writing with intent to save person from punishment or property from forfeiture), and 120 B (Punishment of criminal conspiracy) and section 13(1)D, 13(2), of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 for three years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 each.

The other convicts include Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) employes the then assistant architect Suresh Kumar Jain, the then garden superintendent Amanullah Khan, the then senior auditor Vidya Nidhi Srivastava, the then assistant director Rishi Prasad Gautam, the then chief engineer Jagdish Dagaonkar, and the contractor Keshav Pandit.

Money withdrawn without performing actual work on ground, said opposition leader Chotu Shukla

According to Special Prosecutor Ashish Khare, a Congress leader and the Leader of Opposition of Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) Chotu Shukla lodged a complaint to Lokayukta against the accused about misappropriation of funds in February 2003.

In the complaint, Shukla alleged that a proposal of Rs 2.5 crore for various developmental works of the Meghdoot Garden were made without any approval from the government and the money was withdrawn without performing actual work on ground.

During the investigation of the case, the Lokayukta came to know that the accused had duped the municipal corporation of Rs 33.60 lakh in the name of renovation of the garden. After that the Lokayukta presented a charge sheet against the said accused before the court.

Following which, the Special Judge Gupta on Tuesday convicted all the accused for three years of rigorous imprisonment and also imposed a fine of Rs 5000 each.