Chandigarh: Ex-senior auditor of defence accounts held guilty of graft

Eight years after being arrested in a graft case, a senior officer of the principal controller of defence accounts (PCDA), Western Command, was pronounced guilty by the special court of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The convict, identified as Vitesh Kumar, 51, the then senior auditor of the principal controller of defence accounts (PCDA), Western Command, has been held guilty under Section 7 and 31 (d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The quantum of sentence will be pronounced on April 20.

Another accused, assistant accounts officer (AAO) Kashmiri Lal, has been acquitted of all charges.

The case dates back to May 25, 2015, when complainant Jagdeep Dogra, a Manimajra resident, wrote to the CBI SP, accusing Vitesh Kumar of demanding ₹20,000 bribe from his brother-in-law Ajay Sharma for issuance of annual settlement certificate of his firm M/s Ambay enterprises, Pathankot, for the period March 31, 2013 to April 1, 2014.

His brother-in-law had a business of stationery items, coolers, fridges etc, which he used to supply to the Army unit in Pathankot.

The bribe was demanded through repeated calls. In one of the calls, the caller said that he was directed by Kashmiri Lal to speak to him.

A trap was laid and the complainant met Vitesh Kumar during which the latter said that he has been directed by the AAO to collect the bribe of ₹20,000. The moment Kumar received the money, the CBI nabbed him.

As per the CBI, Kumar was caught from Chandigarh’s Sector 9 market while Lal was arrested from his office.

On Tuesday, the special court of CBI convicted Vitesh Kumar and acquitted Kashmiri Lal.