Ex-public prosecutor acquitted in disproportionate assets case

A former additional public prosecutor, facing trial in a disproportionate assets case, has been acquitted by a Delhi court.
Special CBI judge Alok Agarwal acquitted the accused observing that she had explained the source of income and the CBI's allegations against her regarding alleged amassing of wealth of over Rs 41 lakh could not be substantiated.
The court also noted that the amount arrived at by the probe agency during its investigation cannot be termed as "disproportionate to her known sources of income".
"Therefore, she cannot be convicted under section 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Accordingly, the accused... Is hereby acquitted of the charge against her in this case," the judge said.

According to CBI's charge sheet, the accused had worked as legal assistant with Delhi Milk Scheme and had joined the Delhi government as assistant public prosecutor in 1994 and was promoted as Additional Public Prosecutor in 1998.
CBI had claimed that on the basis of a tip-off, a case was lodged on March 9, 2004 against the accused for allegedly amassing assets disproportionate to her known source of income.

It said that a search was carried out on March 10, 2004 and for the purpose of calculating disproportionate assets, a period between April 1, 1994 and March 10, 2004 was fixed.

The charge sheet also alleged that at the end of check period, the accused was found possessing assets worth Rs 41,32,162 in her name, which are disproportionate to her known sources of income.
It said that the accused was in possession of a house at Panchsheel Enclave, a shop at Nehru Place and agricultural land in village Kapashera, apart from various other monetary investments.
However, the prosecution failed to substantiate its claim during the trial in the case.