GUWAHATI, Dec 13 - The Court of Special Judge, Assam today convicted former Director of the Cultural Affairs Department along with two cashiers and sentenced them to two years of rigorous imprisonment on charges of siphoning of public money meant for hosting cultural events at the Rabindra Bhawan here during the early 1990�s.
The accused officials charged under Section 120(B)/409 of the Indian Penal Code read with Section 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act have also been slapped with a fine of Rs 5,000 each.
Those convicted includes the then Director Harendra Nath Bhuyan and cashiers Dimbeswar Das and Pabitra Kanta Baruah.
Sarat Chetia, another accused cashier in the case, has, however, been acquitted of all charges.
The First Information Report (FIR) in this case was filed on August 29, 1995 and the chargesheet was filed by the Anti Corruption Bureau in November 1999. The FIR was lodged by Khiteswar Chetia, the investigating officer in the case.
The accused, according to the investigating agency, had siphoned off more than Rs 30 lakh sanctioned by the government.
The officials had resorted to fraudulent means and awarded contracts to firms and individuals without adhering to established guidelines.