Former Minister Anosh Ekka alongwith six of his family members were sentenced to seven-year jail term by a Special CBI court here on Tuesday. The court awarded the sentence in a Disproportionate Assets (DA) case lodged against the Minister, his wife Menon Ekka and five other family members in the year 2010, when Anosh was a Minister in the Madhu Koda led Government.
The special CBI court of Anil Kumar Mishra also imposed a fine of Rs 50 lakh each on all the seven convicted persons, which include Anosh Ekka, Menon Ekka, Anosh’s brothers Gidiyon Ekka and Ebrahim Ekka, Anosh’s brother in law Jaykant Ekka, nephew Roshan Minj and a close relative Deepak Lakra, who were found guilty by the court of amassing over Rs 16.82 crore more than their known sources of income.
CBI Advocate Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said that Ekka and his relatives were awarded seven-year Rigorous Imprisonment and fined with Rs 50 lakh each. “If they fail to deposit the fine amount the convicts will have to undergo imprisonment for additional month. The Court in its order has also directed the CBI to forfeit illegal properties amassed by the seven convicted persons,” he added.
The counsel informed that during course of investigation CBI has found assets worth several crores in the name of Ekka and his kin in Jalpaigudi, Ranchi and Delhi. The CBI had filed FIR under different sections of Prevention of Corruption Act the former minister and his family members involved in the case, he added.
Yadav said that during the course of investigation CBI examined 153 witnesses, while Ekka produced 141 witnesses in his defence.
The State Vigilance department had initially lodged an FIR against Ekka and his relatives in the year 2008. Later the case was handed over to CBI, which first lodged an FIR on August 10, 2010 on the directions of Jharkhand High Court.
Ekka has already been sentenced Life Imprisonment in the murder case of a teacher by Ranchi court. He was granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court in September 2019 owing to lack of evidence.
Ekka’s much talked about lavish bungalow near Birsa Munda Airport Ranchi has already been seized by the authorities.