Anti-corruption watchdog slams Mizoram govt over bail to graft

A day after a special court here granted anticipatory bail to nine accused in a graft case linked to the Tuipanglui and Kau-Tlabung mini-hydro electric projects, an anti-corruption watchdog has slammed the state government over the same.
A statement by the People's Right to Information and Development Society of Mizoram (PRISM) criticised the state government for allowing the anticipatory bail pleas of nine engineers indicted in the multi-crore hydro-electricity project scam.
The Aizawl-based organisation charged that the Congress government in Mizoram was "condemning corruption only verbally but protecting the corrupt people".
At least 16 engineers were indicted in the Tuipanglui and Kau-Tlabung embezzlement case of which nine accused had moved court for anticipatory bail.

Lucy Lalrinthari, special judge of the designated court under Prevention of Corruption Act, yesterday gave bail to the nine engineers, including former engineer-in-chief of state PWD, Liansanga, former engineer-in-chief of Power and Electricity department, CL Thangliana, and two former chief engineers.
In the order, Lalrinthari said that anticipatory bail was granted after the Additional Public Prosecutor did not object to making the interim bail order absolute.
"The accused persons in the graft case were released on bail by the Special Judge of the Prevention of Corruption Act yesterday after the prosecution did not have any objections to the pleas of the accused," the statement said.

PRISM had initiated the multi-crore corruption case against the officials by filing an FIR with the state Anti- Corruption Bureau (ACB) in 2008.