HC notice to CBI on Thungon's plea

The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued notice to CBI on an appeal of former union minister P.K. Thungon challenging the four and half year jail term to him in a 1998 corruption case.

Justice Indermeet Kaur asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file response by February 25 on the plea by Thungon challenging his conviction and sentence.

A trial court had on July 27 held Thungon (68), 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 and 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.