A Delhi court has sentenced 13 people, including a retired IAS officer, to varying jail terms in a multi-crore-rupee Cooperative Group Housing Society (CGHS) scam that defrauded thousands of prospective homebuyers through forgery and corruption.
Special judge Prashant Sharma likened corruption to a disease that demands an aggressive cure. “Corruption is like cancer and needs chemotherapy. Therefore, the offence of corruption has to be dealt with an iron hand,” the court said while pronouncing the sentence on October 31.
The case relates to the fraudulent revival of defunct housing societies to obtain land allotments from the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). The court observed that the scam not only hurt the economy but also eroded public faith in institutions. “Corruption is opposed to democracy and social order. It affects the economy and destroys cultural heritage. Unless nipped in the bud, it is likely to cause turbulence,” the judge noted.
The 13 individuals were convicted on October 13 in the Safdarjung Cooperative Group Housing Society case. Those sentenced to five years in prison along with fines include Karamvir Singh, Narender Kumar, Maha Nan Sharma, Pankaj Madan, Ahawni Sharma, Ashutosh Pant, Sudershan Tandon, Manoj Vats, Vijay Thakur, Vikas Madan and Poonam Awasthi. Retired IAS officer Gopal Dixit, 84, and 92-year-old Narender Dheer received two-year sentences with fines.
According to the CBI, the group conspired to revive defunct societies using forged documents, obtained DDA land allotments, and sold the proposed flats at inflated prices through new members and agents. The scam, part of a wider network involving over 135 fake societies, left many buyers without homes but saddled with heavy EMIs.
Rejecting pleas for leniency, the court dismissed the convicts’ arguments that they had families to support. “If they were so concerned and sensitive about their families, then why did they commit the offences?” the judge asked.
The court said the motive behind the scam was clear: “The ulterior motive and/or greed in this case was to get property in Delhi by hook or by crook, lower than the market value by forging documents of the society in question.”
The CBI had filed multiple FIRs against the developers, officials, and builders involved, charging them with criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery, and corruption under the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
With inputs from TOI
Special judge Prashant Sharma likened corruption to a disease that demands an aggressive cure. “Corruption is like cancer and needs chemotherapy. Therefore, the offence of corruption has to be dealt with an iron hand,” the court said while pronouncing the sentence on October 31.
The case relates to the fraudulent revival of defunct housing societies to obtain land allotments from the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). The court observed that the scam not only hurt the economy but also eroded public faith in institutions. “Corruption is opposed to democracy and social order. It affects the economy and destroys cultural heritage. Unless nipped in the bud, it is likely to cause turbulence,” the judge noted.
The 13 individuals were convicted on October 13 in the Safdarjung Cooperative Group Housing Society case. Those sentenced to five years in prison along with fines include Karamvir Singh, Narender Kumar, Maha Nan Sharma, Pankaj Madan, Ahawni Sharma, Ashutosh Pant, Sudershan Tandon, Manoj Vats, Vijay Thakur, Vikas Madan and Poonam Awasthi. Retired IAS officer Gopal Dixit, 84, and 92-year-old Narender Dheer received two-year sentences with fines.
According to the CBI, the group conspired to revive defunct societies using forged documents, obtained DDA land allotments, and sold the proposed flats at inflated prices through new members and agents. The scam, part of a wider network involving over 135 fake societies, left many buyers without homes but saddled with heavy EMIs.
Rejecting pleas for leniency, the court dismissed the convicts’ arguments that they had families to support. “If they were so concerned and sensitive about their families, then why did they commit the offences?” the judge asked.
The court said the motive behind the scam was clear: “The ulterior motive and/or greed in this case was to get property in Delhi by hook or by crook, lower than the market value by forging documents of the society in question.”
The CBI had filed multiple FIRs against the developers, officials, and builders involved, charging them with criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery, and corruption under the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
With inputs from TOI
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