CBI court convicts two in Noida land fraud

GHAZIABAD: A special CBI court on Friday convicted a senior government official and another person in connection with a fraud related to a residential plot scheme launched by the Noida Authority in 2004. Rama Shankar Singh, a systems manager employed with Uttar Pradesh Development Systems Corporation Ltd — a state government undertaking hired by the Authority to carry out a computerised lucky draw of plots — and Alok Singh Chauhan, an external expert hired by the agency, were sentenced to three years in jail. They were found guilty of influencing the results of the lucky draw and allocating most of the plots to “VIPs”. The court of special judicial magistrate Shivank Singh also reprimanded the central investigating agency for being silent on the role of Noida Authority officials and the “so called VIPs” for whom the manipulations were done. It was the Allahabad high court that had directed the CBI to probe the irregularities in the plot scheme and find out the role of officials of the Authority, UPDESCO and other departments concerned in manipulating the draw of lots. The court had observed that “the entire process was, therefore, nothing but a fraud played by Noida Authority upon the applicants”

“This court is in deep pain to note that despite specific directions given by Hon’ble High Court of Judicature at Allahabad in the aforesaid writ petition, CBI has not investigated the case with respect to the so-called ‘VIPs’ who were allotted the plots in the questioned scheme…This court has no hesitation in saying that, the present case was presented by CBI in a confined manner to outwit this court which deserves the strongest disapproval,” CBI special judicial magistrate Singh observed while passing the order. “It seems factually impossible and logically illogical that the said manipulation was done without the role of Noida Authority’s officials,” the court said. In 2004, the Authority had floated a scheme for allotting 1,250 plots under different categories. Residents were given time till December 31 that year to apply for the plots and the draw of lots was held on
July 2, 2005, in the Noida stadium. However, only the names of the “so-called VIPs” were announced as allottees. There was an immediate public outcry, resulting in the cancellation of the draw connivance of the Authority and the “VIPs”.

Though the high court had asked the CBI to find out the role of Authority officials, the agency filed a chargesheet against Singh and Chauhan for cheating, criminal conspiracy and other sections of the IPC and the IT Act.
During investigation, it was found that of 711 “VIP” applicants, 129 had got the plots. This meant a ratio of 1:5.5 with respect to the VIP applicants who got the plots. The success ratio for general candidates was 1:267.
The CBI had stated that the accused had manipulated the data and fake entries were made into various tables related to the draw of lots in the database of the computer. It was also found that the computer used to print the list of successful candidates was destroyed and replaced with another one. Certain shortcomings were found against the officials of the Authority and UPDESCO, and departmental action was recommended against them.