Five persons, including a former Vice Chairman and an ex-member of Bar Council of India (BCI), have been put on trial by a Delhi court in an alleged graft case.
Special CBI Judge Manoj Kumar Nagpal framed charges against former BCI chairman Raju Dhanpal Raj, its ex-member Rajinder Singh Rana and three others, saying that prima facie various offences including, cheating, criminal conspiracy of the IPC and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act were made out against them.
They are accused of giving favourable inspection report regarding a college in Rohtak after accepting bribe.
The court framed the charges after Raj and Rana, Ram Bharose Goel, president of Vaish Education Society, its member and colleges then principal Ajay Singhania and Subhash Gupta pleaded not guilty and claimed trial. The five accused are currently out on bail.
It fixed the case for January 14 for recording of prosecution evidence and asked the CBI prosecutor to move an application for summoning witnesses for the next date.
“During 2010 and at Delhi and Haryana, you all the accused had entered into a criminal conspiracy, in furtherance of which you accused Rajinder Singh Rana and Raju Dhanpal Raj agreed to abuse your official positions in the Bar Council of India and to obtain and accept illegal gratification, other than your legal remuneration, by corrupt or illegal means, of Rs seven lakh and two mobile handsets from your coaccused Ram Bharose Goel and Ajay Singhania, for giving a false and favourable inspection report of the Vaish College of Law, Rohtak,” the judge said while framing charges.
The court had earlier said that no charge of forgery for the purpose of cheating and using forged documents as genuine was made out against the accused.
According to CBI, the case was registered on February 25, 2011 on the basis of source information initially against Rana, Raj and Goel.
The agency alleged that the two BCI officials had conspired with Goel for giving a favourable inspection report regarding Vaish College of Law, Rohtak and Rana started demanding illegal gratification from Goel.
The approval was to be granted by BCI for starting a new law course in the college which was to be run by this society.
CBI alleged that the recorded conversations between the accused revealed that after negotiation Rs seven lakh bribe amount was finalised and Goel and Singhania had come to Delhi to give the amount to Rana at his residence in August 2010.
All the accused have denied the allegations levelled against them by the CBI.
( Source – PTI )
