Karnataka forest officer gets three years in jail, Rs 1.38 cr fine in corruption case

During the check period, the accused allegedly acquired properties and pecuniary resources in his name and those of his family members that were disproportionate to his known sources of income.

Karnataka forest officer gets three years in jail, Rs 1.38 cr fine in corruption case. (File Photo)

BENGALURU: A Special Court in the city sentenced M S Ravikumar, the then Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF), Planning Branch, Forest Department, to three years of simple imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1.38 crore for possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

Judge CM Pushpalatha passed the order sentencing the accused Ravikumar following his conviction for the offences under Section 13(1)(e) read with Section 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, as he has unexplained wealth to the tune of Rs 1.38 crore, after deducting the expenditure from the known sources of income.

The court determined the sentence keeping in mind not only the individual circumstances of the accused but also the larger public interest which corruption has upon public administration and society at large.

“Since the accused has failed to place before this court any credible, cogent and legally acceptable evidence satisfactorily explaining the source of the excess assets and expenditure amounting to Rs.1.38 crore, representing 49.5% of his known sources of income (during the check period from March 1, 1989 to June 10, 2014), this court finds that the explanation offered by the accused is insufficient to account for the disproportion established by the prosecution,” the judge observed.

The court noted that the factual circumstances and the magnitude of the disproportion in the present case materially distinguish it from the circumstances in which benefit or liberal consideration was extended, as the extent of disproportion is 49.50%, which is substantially beyond the permissible margin of tolerance.

Therefore, the accused cannot claim the benefit of any permissible margin of variation or tolerance, the court added.

The accused joined as the Range Forest Officer in 1980. At the time of the raid, he was working as an ACF, Planning Branch of the Forest Department in Bengaluru.

Registering the FIR on June 9, 2014, the Lokayukta police raided the premises of the accused and later filed the chargesheet for acquiring disproportionate assets. During the check period, the accused acquired, found in possession of various properties and pecuniary resources, in his own name and in the names of his family members which were disproportionate to his known sources of income.