NEW DELHI: A court has convicted five people, including officials of the Social Welfare Department, in a case of forgery and corruption, officials said on Friday. The court sentenced District Social Welfare Officer Mahesh Kumar Sharma, Junior Accountant Rajender Kumar Sharma and Deputy Controller (Finance and Account) Inder Singh Pimoli to varying jail terms. It also sentenced Rajeshwari Chauhan, the superintendent of Bal Sadan and Home for Healthy Children of Leprosy Persons, to four-year imprisonment and her daughter Deepika Chauhan who owns a company to two years in jail.
The judge also imposed fines of Rs 1, 80,000 and Rs 50,000 respectively on them. According to an official statement, the government’s Anti-Corruption Branch received a complaint from NGO Pratidhi on January 29, 2009 that Rajeshwari Chauhan misused power and authority to give an order worth Rs 3,42,619 for purchasing bedding and clothing for the use of inmates of Bal Sadan and HHCLP to Swastik Corporation, owned by her daughter.
It was further alleged that the three officials of the Social Welfare Department of the Delhi government connived with the duo. According to the officials, a case was registered on February 2, 2009 under sections 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 469 (forgery for purpose of harming reputation) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.