KOCHI: The Ernakulam CBI Special Court on Saturday sentenced S Shanavas, the first accused, and A Valsan, the second accused, to three years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 20 lakh each in a graft case involving the supply of battle tank components to the defence ministry. Shanavas and Valsan were the former managing director and senior manager, respectively, of the state-run Steel and Industrial Forgings Ltd (SIFL) at Athani in Thrissur. The court also imposed a fine of `10 lakh on the sixth accused, AMW-MGM Forgings.
The CBI had turned Subi Mally, who acted as a mediator between the two companies, into an approver and witness in the case. The CBI alleged that the accused conspired to inflate the prices of components when a limited tender was floated in 2011 for the supply of road-wheel arms used in the manufacture of battle tanks.
The court acquitted V K Panda, former general manager of the Ordnance Factory at Medak; T Muralidhar Bhagvat, former MD of AMW-MGM Forgings in Mysuru; and K R Mugilan, a former manager of the same company.
The prosecution alleged that the accused entered into a criminal conspiracy through Subi Mally, MD of Subshi Impex Pvt Ltd, Mumbai, between August 2011 and December 2012 at Medak in Andhra Pradesh and Thrissur in Kerala.
The conspiracy was allegedly aimed at cheating the Government of India and obtaining undue pecuniary advantages through corrupt or illegal means by forming a cartel in connection with a Limited Tender Enquiry (LTE) issued by the Ordnance Factory, Medak, for the supply of 527 road-wheel arms.
