STATE TIMES NEWS
PULWAMA: In a major judgment reinforcing the fight against corruption, the Special Judge, Anti-Corruption Court Pulwama, Dr. Noor Mohammad Mir, on Thursday convicted Sonaullah Wani, the then Junior Engineer (JE) in the Rural Development Department, in a long-pending corruption and forgery case.
The case, registered under FIR No. 24/2000 at the erstwhile Vigilance Organization Kashmir (now Anti-Corruption Bureau – ACB), involved offences under Sections 420, 467, 471 of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) read with Section 5(2) of the J&K Prevention of Corruption Act Svt. 2006.
During the investigation, it was revealed that the accused had forged his matriculation certificate and service records, fraudulently altering his date of birth from June 8, 1940 to June 8, 1945. This manipulation allowed him to overstay in government service for 21 months, drawing undue salary to the tune of Rs 2,62,760, thereby causing corresponding loss to the state exchequer.
The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Srinagar confirmed the forgery of signatures and seals on the documents, while the J&K Board of School Education (JKBOSE) verification established the accused’s genuine date of birth.
After trial, the Court held that the prosecution had proved the case beyond reasonable doubt, relying on convincing documentary, expert, and oral evidence presented by the ACB.
Consequently, the Court sentenced the accused to seven years of simple imprisonment, imposed a Rs fine of Rs 3,52,760, and directed his lodgment at Central Jail Srinagar.
An ACB official, commenting on the judgment, said, “This conviction underscores the Bureau’s unwavering commitment to ensuring accountability and integrity in public service. No individual who misuses public office for personal gain will be allowed to go unpunished. The ACB remains steadfast in its mission to root out corruption at all levels of administration.”