Mumbai Court Delivers 10-Year Sentence in Corruption Case: A Message Against Malfeasance

A Mumbai court sentenced former Maharashtra legislature secretariat cashier, Manoj Gaonkar, to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for possessing disproportionate assets. Found guilty under the Prevention of Corruption Act, Gaonkar misappropriated government funds and amassed illegal wealth. The judgment sends a strong message against growing corruption.

A Mumbai court has handed down a 10-year sentence in the case of Manoj Gaonkar, a former cashier at the Maharashtra legislature secretariat, for acquiring assets disproportionate to his income.

Presiding over the case, Special Judge S E Bangar found Gaonkar guilty under the Prevention of Corruption Act, additionally imposing a Rs 50,000 fine. Prosecutors detailed that between 1991 and 2004, Gaonkar misappropriated government funds to gather an illicit fortune.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) unearthed Gaonkar's malfeasances, leading to the 2013 charges that culminated in the verdict. Over Rs 52.35 lakh was misappropriated, the inquiry revealed. Emphasizing the rising but under-detected corruption incidents, prosecutors advocated for stringent penalties, while Gaonkar's defense pointed to his clean record and family obligations.

(With inputs from agencies.)