The special judge for CBI cases, Bhopal has convicted 12 accused persons, including five from Employees of Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) for causing a loss of Rs44.74 lakhs to EPFO and sentenced Gajendra Singh Chouhan, then lDC, employee EPFO, Sub Regional Office, Bhopal to undergo seven years’ Rigorous Imprisonment (RI). A fine of Rs38 lakh has also been imposed.
Pratap Singh, then section supervisor, employee of EPFO, Sub Regional Office, Bhopal would have to undergo five years Rigorous Imprisonment with fine of Rs3.8 lakh; CT Joseph, then Section Supervisor, EPFO, SRO, Bhopal to undergo five years Rigorous Imprisonment with fine of Rs2.3 lakh; Ramchander, then APFC (retired) EPFO, Sub Regional Office, Delhi to undergo five years Rigorous Imprisonment with fine of Rs2.05 lakh; RD Paranjape, then Enforcement Officer, EPFO, SRO, Indore to undergo five years Rigorous Imprisonment with fine of Rs2.05 lakh; Rajendra Singh Thakur (Private Person) to undergo three years Rigorous Imprisonment with fine of Rs40,000; Manish Gaur, Ravi Khandare and Manoj Chauhan, all three private persons to undergo three years Rigorous Imprisonment with fine of Rs20,000 each; Rajesh Kumawat, Balram Chauhan Rakesh Kaushal, all three private persons to undergo three years Rigorous Imprisonment with fine of Rs50,000 each.
CBI had registered a case under section 120-B, 419, 201, 420, 467, 471 and 477-A of IPC and sections 13(2), 13(1)(d) of PC Act, 1988 on November 08, 2005 on a complaint from the EPFO, Sub Regional Office, Bhopal against Gajendra Singh Chauhan, the then lDC; Pratap Singh, the then Section Supervisor, both working in Employees Provident Fund Organization, Sub Regional Office, Bhopal; CT Joseph Kuty, then Section Supervisor, EPFO, SRO, Ujjain; Ramchander, then APFC (Retired) EPFO, Sub Regional Office, Delhi; RD Paranjape, then Enforcement Officer, EPFO, SRO, Indore and unknown private persons.
It was alleged that Shri Gajendra Singh Chouhan, during the year 2001 to 2003 entered into a criminal conspiracy with other official of EPFO, SRO, Bhopal and other unknown private persons and fraudulently and dishonestly settled the 11 PF claims in the name of persons who were not the member of EPFO. Thus they committed offence of forgery, cheating by using forged documents as genuine etc in respect of final settlement/part payment and withdrawal of PF claims from 11 accounts. A loss to the tune of Rs44,74,895 was caused to EPFO.