M A I N   N E W S

IAS officer jailed for graft

CHENNAI, Feb 16 (PTI) — A special court found former Tamil Nadu Health Secretary K. Inbasagaran guilty of corruption charges levelled against him and sentenced him to one year’s rigorous imprisonment here today.Special Judge S. Sambandam held that the Directorate of vigilance and Anti-Corruption had proved beyond reasonable doubt its case against the suspended IAS officer who had been charged with accumulating unaccounted wealth totalling over Rs 54 lakh between April, 1978, and September, 1993.

The judge, however, suspended implementation of the sentence till March 15 on payment of Rs 10,000 to enable the officer to appeal against his conviction in a higher court.

Inbasagaran told mediapersons that the case filed against him was “motivated”. He said he would move the High Court against the conviction order.

Also imposing a fine of Rs 5,000 on the officer, who held various other posts including Joint Secretary Food, and Director Power Department at the Centre, the judge held that Inbasagaran had failed to account for the property possessed by him.

Inbasagaran’s conviction is the fourth by the special courts set up by the DMK government to try corruption cases against former Chief Minister Jayalalitha, some of her ministerial colleagues and government officials.

Inbasagaran is the second IAS officer to be convicted by a special court after H.M. Pandey, a co-accused in the “Pleasant Stay Hotel’’ case. On February 2, Ms Jayalalitha was convicted in the hotel case for misuse of office, and sentenced to one year of rigorous imprisonment.

According to the prosecution, Inbasagaran could not account for the wealth in his possession on September 14, 1993, which included Rs 30 lakh in cash, seven gold biscuits with foreign markings, 1,118 US dollars, two fixed deposits and documents relating to immoveable properties which were seized by the IT Department during raids on the residence of the officer on September 13 and 14, 1993.