CHENNAI: A
former vice-chancellor
of the
state medical university
has to face
corruption trial
for his habit of booking
business class tickets
for
foreign travel
, cancelling them to travel in economy class and pocketing the differential sum.
A special court here has chosen to treat these as corrupt practices under the Prevention of Corruption Act,1988, and declined to discharge him from the case without trial.
Meer Mustafa Hussain, now 65, was vice-chancellor of the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR University between November 27, 2006 and November 26, 2009.During this period, he attended a conference in Norway in September 2008, but fell ill during the visit.
He participated in a seminars in London in November 2007, and in Australia in March 2008. According to the directorate of vigilance and anti-cor ruption, Hussain misappropriated the differential amount after cancelling business class tickets and later booking economy class tickets. He had cheated the state government by concealing the fact he travelled economy class.
By drawing an advance from the university's funds for booking tickets and later receiving pecuniary advantage, he committed forgery , DVAC said. After the DVAC filed a final report, charging him with committing offences punishable under Sections 409 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery for cheating), 468 (forgery of a valuable security) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document) of the IPC, he moved the trial court to get discharged from the case.
Hussain said he was a diabetic who had undergone angioplasty and suffered hip fracture.
Denying having submitted false travelling allowance bills for visits to foreign countries, he said his health condition forced him to cancel business class tickets and travel by economy class. He had submitted genuine TA documents and did not cause any loss to the university , he said.
Noting that the DVAC had registered the case after an inordinate delay of six years, he said there was also a delay of two years in ex amining the witnesses. Citing these grounds he said he could be discharged.
The DVAC argued that Hussain should not be discharged as it possessed incriminating material while framing charges and that it should be given the opportunity to examine the witnesses and conduct a fair trial.
Dismissing Hussain's petition, S Kanchana, judge, special court for cases under Prevention of Corruption Act, said: “In the present case, the statement of the witnesses and the documents establish a prima facie case...Hence, the contention raised by Hussain does not merit acceptance.“