Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 25: 'Flaws' in the CBI probe into the alleged misappropriation of a huge amount in the Khour branch of Rural Bank today led to the acquittal of its employee who was charged with the 'fraud'.
Special Judge Anti-Corruption (CBI cases), Jammu, Vinod Chatterji Koul decided six charge sheets filed by CBI and acquitted O P Dingra, then cashier-cum-clerk in the Khour branch of Rural Bank, for allegedly misappropriating Rs 14,14,700 by forging the signatures of authorised officials, affording fictitious credits and subsequently pocketing the amounts received from depositors and not accounting them in the books of accounts, ledgers and pass books. He was also alleged to have made fictitious inflated entries in various books of accounts in a bid to cover up the acts of embezzlement and destroyed the record. The embezzlement was allegedly made in savings bank accounts, recurring deposit accounts, current deposit accounts and cash credit accounts.
While acquitting the accused, the judge, after hearing the two sides, observed that, in the CBI investigation, there were common legal flaws, like non-proving of FIR, non-examination of I O, non-sending of disputed initials purportedly of J R Sharma, who had allegedly passed the fake withdrawal vouchers, why the cashier had given payment when the signatures of account holder were forged or the signatures of Passing Officer were forged, to whom the payments were made, why accused was dealing with cash, as alleged by prosecution when there was clear cut order in the knowledge of the branch officials debarring accused to deal with cash, if Day Book has been inflated why the entries were authenticated by the Passing Officer and why the important witnesses, including the I O, were not examined by the prosecution during the trial. "These are such important aspects of the case that cannot be lost sight. In my view, the investigation was tainted with oblique motive to shield the real culprits and the accused was made scapegoat and it is equally true that the trial was conducted in the most unprofessional manner for the reasons best known to the prosecution. It is painful to the judicial conscious that prosecution took almost 10 years to lead incomplete evidence," the judge said.
He said it was amply clear that charges levelled against the accused had become causality due to haphazard approach of the prosecution, resulting in debacle of these charges.
With these observations, the judge acquitted the accused from the charges levelled against him.
(JNF) |
