Judge gets jail in graft case

AHMEDABAD: A judicial officer was awarded jail term of two years on Monday. A rural court on the Mirzapur campus found Premji Gohil guilty on charges of corruption and having disproportionate assets to his known sources of income.

Gohil, who was serving as judicial magistrate first class in a Pardi court in south Gujarat in 2002, was accused of corrupt practices by local lawyers. Upon receiving complaints, the Gujarat high court vigilance department initiated an inquiry against the magistrate.

During the inquiry, the judicial officer was found in possession of many properties which according to Gohil were given to him as gifts. He even showed various gift agreements to justify his possession over different properties. However, the department was not convinced with his documents and lodged a criminal complaint against him in 2005.

A trial then commenced before additional sessions judge V K Vyas against three persons. Gohil`s wife, Shobhna, and his brother-in-law, Pradeep Makwana are also facing abetment charges. Public prosecutor G H Majmudar argued that Gohil was a judicial officer and well versed with law, yet he chose to disobey law of the land and indulged in corrupt practices. He also argued that the gift agreements put forth by Gohil were forged documents.

After hearing examination of 31 witnesses and perusal of 42 documents, the court held Gohil guilty and sentenced him to two years` imprisonment. The court, however, acquitted the two others.