Ex-GM of BSNL held guilty

The special CBI court today convicted Chander Shekhar, the then General Manager of the Rohtak Telecom Circle of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) in a 17-year-old graft case.

CBI sleuths had caught Shekhar red-handed while taking a bribe of Rs 25,000 from a contractor in June 2004.

The convict has been sent to Ambala jail. The quantum of sentence will be pronounced on March 22.

Shekhar was currently serving as the Deputy Director General in the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications, Government of India.

In 2005, the charges were framed by the special CBI court in Ambala (as earlier the court was located there).

According to the CBI, Shekhar was caught red-handed while accepting a sum of Rs25,000 from the complainant with a motive to approve tender.

During an investigation, the office and residential premises of the accused were searched and a number of incriminating documents and articles, including Rs45 lakh, were recovered.

Thereafter, the CBI had also booked him under disproportionate assets case under Section 13(1)(e) read with 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. This case is still pending in the special CBI court.

“During the investigation, the accused hasn’t been able to put forth any explanation regarding possession of such huge cash,” the CBI said.

The oldest case

This 17-year-old case was probably the oldest pending matter in the CBI court, Panchkula. The Tribune India