Ex-BSNL Officer Convicted in Corruption Case, Ranchi Court Awards 3-Year Jail Term

Ranchi: A former BSNL technical officer, Ram Vinod Singh, has been sentenced to three years in prison by a special CBI court in Ranchi after being found guilty in a disproportionate assets case. The court also slapped a penalty of Rs 25 lakh on the convicted officer.

Delivering the judgment, Special Judge Yogesh Kumar said that failure to pay the fine within the prescribed time would lead to an additional one-year simple imprisonment.

The matter pertains to a 2007 case registered by the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch in Ranchi. Investigators alleged that Singh accumulated assets worth around Rs 34 lakh that were far beyond his known sources of income while serving in BSNL.

As part of the investigation, the CBI carried out searches at several locations linked to the accused, including in Jamshedpur. During the raids, officials recovered cash worth Rs 68,000 and documents related to various movable and immovable properties allegedly acquired through illegal means.

Following the investigation, the CBI submitted a chargesheet before the court. During the hearing, the prosecution presented documents and witness statements to establish the charges against the accused.

CBI prosecutor Davinder Pal Sood told the court that Singh had abused his official position to accumulate assets through corrupt practices.

After considering the evidence and testimonies, the court convicted him under Sections 13(2) and 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and sentenced him to rigorous imprisonment along with the monetary penalty.

According to CBI officials, the investigation confirmed that the former officer possessed assets disproportionate to his lawful income.
 

With inputs from IANS