| Appointment scam: SKUAST's ex-VC, Registrar get 1-yr jail | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, June 4: An anti-corruption court on Tuesday sentenced a former Vice-Chancellor of SKUAST (Jammu) and a Registrar to one-year imprisonment for making illegal appointments during their tenure in 2005-2008.
The Special Judge Anticorruption Jammu YP Bourney convicted and sentenced Dr. Nagendra Sharma, of Izatnagar, Bareilly, (UP), the then VC SKUAST (J), and Ashok Kumar Koul, of Bakshi Enclave, Patta Paloura, Jammu, the then Registrar SKUAST (J), and awarded one year imprisonment and fine of Rs 25000 each in three cases. The court however acquitted Iqbal Singh, the then Estates Officer, SKUAST (J), Vijay Kumar Soi, the then Comptroller, SKUAST (J), Vishal Tandon, Vinayak Vikram, Narinder Kumar Raina and Ankur Sharma, besides, two more persons.
According to the Vigilance Organisation Jammu, Dr. Nagendra Sharma, during the period of his posting from 2005 to 2008, hatched up a criminal conspiracy with Ashok Kumar Koul, Iqbal Singh and Vijay Kumar Soi, as members of different committees constituted by him to scrutinize the eligibility of candidates.
The accused persons namely Vishal Tandon, Vinayak Vikram, Narinder Kumar Raina and Ankur Sharma, besides, two more beneficiaries were regularized/appointed on different posts in the SKUAST illegally and dishonestly without following the prescribed rules/procedure by manipulating records and against non-existent posts or in excess of vacancies without financial/budgetary support, against the eligibility criteria fixed for the particular posts and also in excess of number of vacancies notified in the advertisement notices, to confer undue benefit upon the beneficiaries who connived with them for their mutual benefit.
Special Judge Anticorruption Jammu Yash Pal Bourney, after hearing CPO Rajesh Bakshi for the Anticorruption Bureau, observed: "…it is clearly established from the evidence on record that accused Nagendra Sharma and Ashok Kumar Koul abused their official positions by adopting illegal means to confer illegal benefits upon the three accused beneficiaries as noted herein above by appointing into government service illegally and burdening the state exchequer which invariably amounted to conscious obtainment of a valuable thing and also pecuniary advantage for the intended persons, that is, beneficiaries which otherwise they couldn't have got."
"Additionally, the sanction for prosecution of accused Iqbal Singh has not been granted by the competent authority to remove him. So the proceedings/trial against him is non est in the eyes of law. However, the prosecuting agency is at liberty to launch proceedings against him and others whose sanction was also declined by the same authority after obtaining proper sanction from the competent authority and this acquittal shall not be coming in their way," the court ruled. |
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