Court acquitted four persons in Rs 1 crore embezzlement case

FATEHGARH SAHIB: The court of Special Judge, Fatehgarh Sahib has acquitted four persons in Rs 1 crore embezzlement case as the prosecution has failed to prove the charges against them.



In a recently announced decision, the Judge acquitted these persons from the charges framed against them by giving them benefit of doubt. The Judge observed that the amount alleged to have been misappropriated was duty accounted for and the same was due to accused Jasbir Singh, contractor, M/S J.B Construction Company.

It was case of State of Punjab versus  Kultar Singh Kultar,  Executive Engineer, PWD(B&R), Sirhind ; Surjit Singh Kohli, Superintendent, PWD(B &R), Sirhind; Sukhdev Singh Sarpal, Senior Assistant PWD(B&R);  Jasbir Singh,  contractor, a resident of Rupnager ; Amar Nath Singh, Senior Assistant PWD(B&R), Rural Works, Division, Sirhind under sections 409, 468,218, 120 B of IPC on February 3, 2001. During investigation offence under section 7,13(2) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 was also  added. The case was registered on the statement of Harpal Singh Gill, who had taken charge of XEN(B&R), Sirhind . However, the court discharged Amar Nath Singh on May 29,2003.

Kultar served Executive Engineer in  Sirhind from 1996 to August 23, 2000. During the hearing of the case in the court, Harpal Singh Gill deposed that he was posted as XEN, PWD, Fatehgarh Sahib on August 24, 2000 in Rural Works Division, in place of Kultar Singh but he(Kultar) skip away from duty so he issued letter to Kultar Singh to hand over cash books and cheque books pertaining to official record but Kultar failed to deposit the same in the office. He directed his Superintendent Surjit Singh Kohli to get the case registered but Kohli brought it next day. He collected the information from bank about the expenditure and balance amount of their office in the bank up to August 24, 2001 and the bank report that Rs 1,48,000 was lying as balance of their department in the bank.

They worked out the balance with the cash book and came to know that balance in bank should have been around Rs 94,98,000. They also came to know that one cheque of Rs 8,89,100 was not accounted for in the cash book, however amount was withdrawn from the bank. The total balance of shortage regarding the money, which has been misappropriated was Rs 1,02,38,695. He reported the matter to higher authority for thorough investigation and the entire record was collected and investigation was carried on by the concerned department and Rs 1,02,38,695 was found to have misappropriated by the accused persons .   He also deposed that during the posting of Kultar, Jasbir Singh was working as contractor in the department in the name of J.B. Construction Company and allotted some work by the department. Sarpal was working as Senior Assistant under Kultar.

He alleged that  Kultar Singh  and four other persons in connivance with each other had embezzled an amount of Rs 1,02,38,695 of Rural Works Division Sirhind  and the case was registered against Kultar Singh, Surjit Singh Kohli, Superintendent Manjit Singh, Sukdev Singh Sarpal,  Gurvinder Singh and contractor of M/S J.B. Construction Company.  Accused were arrested in the case and statements of the witnesses were recorded. After completion of investigation, the challan against these persons was presented in the court. Supplementary challans against Surjit Singh and Jasbir Singh were presented later on. Manjinder Singh Chohan, DSP Crime, Punjab investigated the case up to March 13, 2002 and he has given clean chit to Manjit Singh  and Gurvinder Singh, Manager Oriental Branch of Commerce.

During hearing of the case all the accused pleaded that they are innocent.

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