Chargesheet in corruption case comes after 34 years

It took investigators in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district a staggering 34 years to file a chargesheet in a fraud case allegedly involving an amount of about Rs 62,000.
The State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) filed the chargesheet against three accused officials and a contractor in the court of Additional Anti-Corruption Judge in Pulwama district today, a good 34 years after the case was registered.
The case relates to alleged fradulent withdrawal of Rs 62,270 from the government treasury in April 1982 for clearance of silt in the sump of Pump Lift Station at village Marwal in Pulwama district against the actual expenditure of Rs 2,640, a spokesman of the SVO said.

He said the chargesheet was filed against then Executive Engineer Abdul Rashid Wani, then Section Officer Bushan Lal Kachroo, then Works supervisor, Sub-Division Marval Ghulam Nabi Wani and contractor Abdul Samad Mir in the court of Additional Anti-Corruption Judge Pulwama Virender Singh Bhau.
"The instant case was registered on the outcome of the preliminary enquiry into the allegations that there was accumulation of about 15 feet of silt in the Sump of Pump of Lift Station Marval for which tenders and other formalities have been completed by the Executive Engineer Irrigation Construction Division Pampore and the work has been entrusted to a local contractor for execution.

"But the contractor in criminal conspiracy with Executive Engineer, Assistant Executive Engineer and concerned Sectional Officer Zutshi removed only five feet silt from the sump instead of 15 feet," the spokesman alleged.
During the investigation, he said it was found that a small quantity of silt was removed from the sump and the accused in collusion with one another allegedly fraudulently drew Rs 62,270 from government treasury in April 1982 when actual silt clearance was done involving an expenditure of Rs 2640 only.