Two DJB engineers jailed for three years in graft case

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A Delhi court has sentenced two junior engineers of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to three years in jail in two separate graft cases.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge Anju Bajaj Chandna awarded the jail term to then junior engineers of DJB Suresh Aggarwal and Pradeep Kumar along with contractor Ravi Goyal.

"The convicts have committed acts of cheating and corruption under well planned conspiracy in respect of reboring of borewells which were meant for providing water for human consumption which is the basic human need," the judge said in his order delivered last week.

"Corruption is a serious menace, anti-social, anti-development and leads to larger consequences. It poses threat to the stability of the society, every act of corruption has to be dealt with strict hand as proper message should go to the society as well as to the officials and public servants who are so involved," the judge said.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs.90,000 against the engineers. Goyal, who was held guilty in both of the cases, was fined Rs.1.15 lakh.

However, the court released them on bail on furnishing a personal bond and surety bond in the sum of Rs.50,000 with one surety in the like amount each.

Public prosecutor P.K. Dogra has sought maximum punishment for convicts in the cases as they have committed offences of cheating and criminal misconduct in context of reboring of borewells which were meant for providing safe drinking water to the public.

The convicts were held guilty of offence dealing with cheating, forgery and the various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The CBI has alleged that during 2007-08 Aggarwal entered into criminal conspiracy with Goyal and facilitated him in obtaining pecuniary advantage by cheating DJB.

In another case, the CBI alleged that Pradeep Kumar also facilitated Goyal for obtaining a contract for installation of tubewells for drinking water at different places in 2009.

It added that Goyal without installation or incomplete installation, claimed bills for the entire work on the basis of false and forged invoices.

The order was released on Tuesday.