Former minister Thungon gets over three year jail term for corruption

A court on Monday sentenced, to a three and a half year imprisonment, former union minister P.K. Thungon was convicted in a corruption case relating to the allotment of government shops here during 1993-94.

Central Bureau of Investigation Special Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal, who had last week convicted Thungon, who was also a former chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh, on charges of criminal conspiracy and under the Prevention of Corruption Act, on Monday sentenced him to jail and also slapped a fine of Rs.1 lakh.

Two other accused, former urban affairs and employment minister Sheila Kaul and Tulsi Balodi, died during the trial.

In 1996, the CBI registered a case against Thungon and the others for allegedly hatching a conspiracy in allotting shops and stalls in 1994.

It has said that in pursuance to the conspiracy, Kaul abused her official position and sanctioned the shops without calling for any tender from the general public on the mere recommendation of Thungon.

The CBI said this caused a huge pecuniary loss to the government. Thungon is also serving four and a half years in jail in a 1998 corruption case.