Hazare welcomes Suresh Jain's conviction in Maha housing scam

The judgement in the Rs 29 crore Gharkul housing scam against former Maharashtra minister Suresh Jain and 47 others will strengthen people's faith in the judiciary, said anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare on Saturday.

A sessions court in Maharashtra's Dhule district on Saturday sentenced Jain to seven years in jail along with a Rs 100 crore fine while NCP leader Gulabrao Deokar was given a five-year sentence.

Forty-six others got jail terms between three and seven years.

"The judgment will strengthen people's faith in the judiciary. It sends a message that nobody is above the law, however powerful he is," said Hazare, who had accused Jain of graft and had sat on a hunger strike.

"In the present case, we pursued the matter for a long time and I even sat on hunger strike when the then government was not ready to set up inquiry against the tainted ministers. It finally set up an inquiry commission which went on to prove irregularities done by Jain," Hazare said.

After Jain had alleged that Hazare had misappropriated funds under the guise of his Hind Swaraj Trust, the anti-graft crusader had filed a defamation case against Jain in 2003.