CHANDIGARH/MOHALI — A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Mohali has convicted and sentenced 30 accused persons, including 14 officials of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and 16 private rice millers, in connection with the 2004-05 Punjab Rice Procurement Scam.
The court found the accused guilty of criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), while the FCI officials were additionally convicted under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The convicts have been handed rigorous imprisonment ranging from one to three years, alongside varying financial fines.
The Scam and Investigation
The case dates back to the Kharif Season 2004-05, involving a criminal conspiracy where substandard rice was accepted as Grade-A rice at FCI centers in Malerkotla, Sunam, and Tapa within Punjab's Sangrur district. This fraudulent acceptance resulted in wrongful payments to private millers and significant financial losses to the FCI.
The irregularities first came to light during Joint Surprise Checks conducted by the CBI in September 2005. Subsequent laboratory examinations confirmed that the rice consignments failed to meet prescribed quality specifications, prompting the CBI to register an official case on January 7, 2006. Following the investigation, three separate chargesheets were filed on November 28, 2008.
Center-Wise Breakdown of Convictions
Malerkotla Centre Case (CC No. 59/2017)
FCI Officials: Technical Assistants Varinder Rajput, Girdari Lal, and K.P. Singh, alongside Assistant Managers (Quality Control) Raunaq Ali and R.N. Sharma, were sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs. 15,000 each.
Private Millers (3-Year Sentences): Harish Kumar and Rajnish Kumar (M/s Shiv Shakti Rice Agro Products), and Rakesh Goyal (M/s R.K. Agro Tech) received three years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 25,000 each.
Private Millers (2-Year Sentences): Ramesh Singla (M/s Shiv Shakti Rice Agro Products) and Narinder Kumar (M/s Satkartar Rice and Agro Mills) were sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs. 20,000 each.
Sunam Centre Case (CC No. 60/2017)
FCI Officials: Assistant Manager (Quality Control) R.C. Verma and Technical Assistants Som Pal Singh and K.L. Gulati were sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs. 15,000 each.
Private Millers: Kewal Krishan (M/s Mahavir Rice Mills) received one year of rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs. 10,000, while Hari Ram and Jiwan Lal (M/s K.C. Rice Mills) were sentenced to two years with a fine of Rs. 20,000 each.
Tapa Centre Case (CC No. 66/2017)
FCI Officials: Deputy Manager (Quality Control) Gurmail Singh, Assistant Manager (Quality Control) R.S. Sirohi, and Technical Assistants Ramesh Kumar, Harinder Singh, Harish Kumar, and Satnam Singh were sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs. 15,000 each.
Private Persons (3-Year Sentences): Pardeep Sharma (Chairman, Sukhanand Rice Udyog Samiti) and Bhushan Kumar (Proprietor, Ganga Rice Mills) received three years of rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs. 20,000 each.
Private Persons (2-Year Sentences): Budh Ram (M/s Bansal Rice Mills), Vinod Kumar (M/s Jai Jwala Rice Mills), Bharat Bhushan (Secretary, Dhaliwal Rice Udyog Samiti), Ashok Kumar and Surinder Kumar (M/s Luxmi Rice Mills), and Ramesh Kumar (M/s B.I.D. Rice Mills) were sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs. 20,000 each.
