Former NPCC zonal manager gets 4-years jail in disproportionate assets case

DEHRADUN: A retired senior National Projects Construction Corporation Limited (NPCC) officer has been awarded four-year jail term by a special CBI court on Wednesday for amassing assets worth over Rs 1 crore, disproportionate to his known sources to income.The court of special CBI judge Anuj Kumar Sangal also slapped a fine of Rs 2 lakh on SK Sharma, who had served as a zonal manager of NPCC in Dehradun. The convicted officer retired from NPCC in April 2011.Significantly, CBI team caught Sharma red handed while taking bribe of Rs 15 lakh from one contractor in year 2011. Searches were carried out in Sharma’s house and bank lockers by CBI and recovered cash and jewellery worth lakhs which prima facie appeared to be disproportionate to his known sources of income.According to prosecution lawyer Satish Kumar, “CBI recovered approximately Rs 60 lakh cash from his bank lockers and house along with jewellery worth Rs 20 lakh. A luxury car with a price tag of Rs 16 lakh was also found from house in Sahastradhara Road.”CBI registered an FIR against the convicted officer on February 14, 2011 under section 13(1)(e) of Prevention of Corruption Act for acquiring disproportionate assets worth Rs 1 crore and 5 lakh during his tenure as zonal manager at NPCC Dehradun office from 2005 till his retirement in 2011.After completing the investigation, CBI filed the chargesheet in the case on June 30, 2011. During the trial, prosecution examined 38 witnesses to prove the offence while defence produced 17 witnesses to prove Sharma innocent.While the special CBI court accepted prosecution’s charges against Sharma and ordered to confiscate assets worth Rs 1 crore and 2lakh which he illegally acquired.Meanwhile, a trap case against the convicted NPCC officer is still going on in CBI court.