Ex-minister Thungon moves HC against jail in corruption case

Former union minister P.K. Thungon on Tuesday approached th Delhi High Court, challenging the four-and-half-year jail term awarded to him in a 1998 corruption case.

Justice Indermeet Kaur posted for December 3 the plea by Thungon challenging his conviction and sentencing orders.

On July 27, holding Thungon (68), then minister of state for urban development and employment in the P.V. Narasimha Rao government, guilty of misappropriating money meant for an irrigation project in Nagaland, the trial court sent him to jail for four and a half years.

Three others were also convicted in the case.

Thungon, who is also a former chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh, was held guilty of criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery of valuable security, forgery for purpose of cheating and using as genuine a forged document, under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

According to the CBI, Thungon connived with officials of Nagaland's irrigation and flood control department in placing a bogus order for sausage wire for a project during 1993-94.

Investigations revealed that no wire was supplied to the department but payments were made against bogus delivery. A case was registered against them in 1998.