High Court upholds Conviction of Former CM in Corruption Case
THE Sikkim High Court has upheld the he conviction of Nar Bahadur Bhandari, the then Chief Minister of Sikkim and P.K. Pradhan (IAS), the then Secretary, Rural Development Deptt., Govt. of Sikkim. However, the sentence of simple imprisonment of six months passed by the trial court has been reduced to one month with a fine of Rs 5000/- as more then 27 years have passed since the commission of the offence and during the interregnum, the appellant had no doubt suffered in body and mind.
The CBI had registered a case in 1984 against Bhandari, former Chief Minister of Sikkim and others including Puran kumar Pradhan, IAS, then Secretary Rural Development Department, Government of Sikkim (who later became Chief Secretary of the State) for entering into a criminal conspiracy during year of 1983 -84 by abusing their official position as public servants in the matter of awarding the contract on higher rates in Rural Water Supply Scheme to private contractors by which wrongful loss was caused to Government and corresponding wrongful gain to private Contractors.
The CBI filed charge sheet in the year 1994 and charges were framed in the year 2002 against the accused.
The case ended in conviction in the court of Special Judge, Gangtok on 25.10.2008. The accused persons filed an appeal before the Sikkim High Court, which has now upheld the conviction.