Retired Major General gets two-year jail

A CBI special court here Wednesday sentenced retired Major General A.K. Gupta and Lt. Colonel S.S. Kadian respectively to two- and one-year jail terms for abusing their official position to favour a private company in 1987.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court also fined the two convicts Rs.1,000 each and the private company Coasta and Co. a sum of Rs.61,000, a statement issued here said.

The CBI in 1990 registered a case against the three for entering into criminal conspiracy to cheat the Indian government in the matter of supply of tinned 'keema' for the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) stationed in Sri Lanka in 1987.

During the Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka, the southern Command headquarters had established its maintenance area here for logistics support to the IPKF sent to Sri Lanka.

At this point of time, Gupta and Kadian abusing their official position favoured Coasta and Co. to supply tinned keema bypassing the usual procedure in local purchase scheme.

The three created false records as to the supply of the food product, causing loss to the government and a case was filed against them.