A Delhi court on Wednesday convicted Madhya Pradesh Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti in a corruption case. The case involves forgery of bank records and cheating a cooperative bank through a fixed deposit scheme.
Rajendra Bharti is a three-time MLA from the Datia constituency in Madhya Pradesh. He is also a senior leader of the Indian National Congress. He was facing trial in this cheating case.
The court said that Bharti was part of a criminal conspiracy. This conspiracy allowed illegal withdrawal of interest from the bank for more than 10 years.
Justice Dig Vinay Singh, Special Judge under the Prevention of Corruption Act at Rouse Avenue Courts, said that the evidence clearly shows Bharti’s role. The judge noted that Bharti was linked to both the beneficiary trust and the bank.
The court said that Bharti was a trustee of the beneficiary trust. At the same time, he was also the chairperson of the bank when the fraud happened. Because of this, the court concluded that he was part of the conspiracy.
The case was earlier being heard in Madhya Pradesh. Later, it was transferred to Delhi by the Supreme Court after Bharti requested it.
The case is related to a fixed deposit of ₹10 lakh made in 1998. The deposit was made in Zila Sahkari Krishi Gramin Vikas Bank in the name of a trust called Shri Shyam Sunder Shyam Jan Sahyog Evam Samajik Vikas Sansthan.
The prosecution said that the deposit was originally for three years. However, bank records were later changed to show that it was extended to 10 years and then to 15 years.
The court found that these changes allowed the trust linked to Bharti to keep withdrawing interest of about ₹1.35 lakh every year. This continued even after the original period ended.
Interest payments were made until 2011. This caused a major financial loss to the bank. The court also noted that Bharti was the chairperson of the bank during the time these payments were made.
During the trial, the court also looked at the role of bank employee Raghuvir Sharan Prajapati. He had access to bank records. The court found that he changed important documents like fixed deposit records, ledger entries, and vouchers.
The court said that these fake documents made it appear that the fixed deposit was still valid. This helped in continuing the withdrawal of interest. The trust that received the money had Savitri Devi as its president. Bharti was one of its trustees.
The court said that Bharti and Prajapati, along with Savitri Devi and some unknown persons, worked together in a conspiracy. Their aim was to cheat the bank by taking interest for a longer period at a higher rate.
The court rejected Bharti’s claim that the case was politically motivated. It said that he could not prove any political reason behind the case.
The court said that the fraud took place between 1998 and 2011. This was much before the political rivalry claimed by Bharti.
The court found Prajapati guilty of forgery and cheating. Bharti was found guilty of criminal conspiracy related to the fraud.
The court ordered that both convicts be taken into judicial custody. The next hearing for arguments on the sentence is scheduled for April 2.
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