Ex-councillor jailed for five years in graft case

A court here Thursday sentenced former municipal councillor Hiren Tokas to five years in jail in a 2003 graft case.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge Madhu Jain jailed Tokas after finding him guilty of accepting illegal gratification. The court also slapped a fine of Rs.25,000 on him.

Another accused in the case, and Tokas's associate, Subhash Chander Jain was sentenced to one year in jail and a fine of Rs.5,000 imposed on him.

The court held them guilty of criminal conspiracy and under various section of Prevention of Corruption Act.

Prosecutor V.K. Sharma requested the court to award maximum punishment to the accused and said Tokas did not deserve sympathy as he abused his chair and betrayed the trust reposed in him by the public.

Tokas sought leniency, which was turned down by the court.

According to CBI, Tokas entered into a criminal conspiracy with co-accused Jain for taking illegal gratification from a man named Lalit for not demolishing his shop.

Lalit, who runs a food shop in south Delhi's R.K. Puram, filed a complaint against Tokas in March 2003. Tokas was then councillor in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for ward No.15 in R.K. Puram.

Tokas demanded Rs.1 lakh as bribe, which he later reduced to Rs.50,000 and asked Lalit to pay Rs.20,000 as the first installment in March 2003. Tokas was caught red-handed while accepting the money.