THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
Ranchi, August 30: The CBI Special Court in Ranchi has sentenced former minister Anosh Ekka, his wife Menon Ekka, former Ranchi LRDC Kartik Prabhat, and others to seven years of rigorous imprisonment in connection with a 15-year-old land deal case involving violations of the CNT Act.
The court also imposed fines on the convicts, stating that failure to pay the fine would result in an additional one-year sentence for each.
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On Friday, the court had found all the accused guilty of illegally purchasing and selling land by flouting the provisions of the CNT Act.
The quantum of punishment was pronounced on Saturday, when the convicts were produced before the CBI court through video conferencing. The trial was conducted by Special Public Prosecutor Priyanshu Singh on behalf of the CBI.
Anosh Ekka, while serving as a minister, was accused of misusing his office and using fake addresses to purchase tribal land, with the assistance of then LRDC Kartik Kumar Prabhat. Investigations revealed that large-scale land transactions were carried out with the collusion of administrative officials and staff.
In Menon Ekka’s name, land parcels were bought in several locations: 22 kathas in Hinoo, 12 acres in Ormanjhi, 4 acres in Newari, and 9 decimals in Siramtoli, Chutia. All these purchases were made between March 2006 and May 2008.
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The CBI successfully proved all charges in court, leading to the convictions. Notably, Anosh Ekka has already been convicted in three other cases earlier—the para-teacher murder case, a money laundering case, and a disproportionate assets case. This is the fourth case in which he has been held guilty.