Pulwama, Oct 23: The Special Judge Anti-Corruption Pulwama (Additional Sessions Judge) today convicted and sentenced Sonaullah Wani, a former Junior Engineer with the Rural Development Department, Block Keller, to a maximum effective term of seven years in prison and fine after charges of corruption, cheating, and forgery were proved against him.
Additional Sessions Judge Noor Mohammad Mir while delivering the judgment, declared that the charges against the accused, Sonaullah Wani, under multiple statutes “have been proved beyond any shadow of doubt,” thus ending a case initiated over two decades ago.
Specifically, the conviction rested on serious offences under section 5(2) of the J&K Prevention of Corruption Act Svt. 2006 (now Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988), alongside sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), and 471 (using a forged document) of the J&K RPC (now IPC).
In its reasoning for the sentence, the Special Judge emphasized the severity of the convict’s actions, noting that the acts “strike at the heart of public administration integrity.”
The court highlighted that the accused, a public servant, forged official documents not only to illegitimately siphon off public money (salary) but also to occupy a public post for which he was not eligible, deeming it a “form of corruption and fraud on the system.”
Dismissing the idea that the crime was trivial or victimless, the judgment asserted that the primary victim is the public exchequer and the public trust in government record-keeping.
While acknowledging that the monetary amount (Rs 2.62 lakh) might not be extremely high, the court found the modus operandi and breach of trust “egregious.” The offence was described as premeditated, requiring careful falsification of documents and indicating a high degree of culpability.
The Court concluded that a “strong message of deterrence is needed that such abuse of public office will not be treated lightly.”
Concurrent sentences result in seven-year term. In sentencing, the court prescribed varying terms for the individual offences, which are set to run concurrently.
Corruption Charge (5(2) PC Act): Wani was sentenced to simple imprisonment of five (05) years and a fine of Rs 2,62,760/-.
Forgery of Valuable Security (S. 467 RPC/IPC): This offence carried the highest term, resulting in seven (07) years of simple imprisonment and a fine of Rs 90,000/-.
Cheating and Using Forged Document (S. 420 & S. 471 RPC/IPC): He was also sentenced to three (03) years simple imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000/- for each of these two charges.
Crucially, the judgment mandated that all the sentences awarded to the convict shall run concurrently, meaning the maximum substantive simple imprisonment will be the highest single term, which is seven (07) years. The convict was also ordered to deposit a total cumulative fine of Rs 3,52,760/- for all the committed offences. (KNO)
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