Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Mar 13: The second additional chief judicial magistrate’s (CJM) court here has sentenced a former secretary of Bajal gram panchayat to two years of imprisonment, apart a fine of Rs 10,000.

This sentence was awarded to M D Somappa, who had functioned as secretary of Bajal gram panchayat from 1994 to 1997. He was charged with drawing amounts from the panchayat’s account with State Bank of India twice through cheques, and spending Rs 5,418 so drawn without accounting for it. After the misuse of government funds came into the open, the policemen of rural police station here investigated the case, and filed two separate charge sheets against Somappa.

In this case, sentence was awarded to the official in 2005. But the district sessions court later ordered cancellation of the sentence and conducting of the hearing afresh. In consonance with this order, judge of the additional CJM court, K Bhagya, heard the case and awarded a year’s sentence towards each of the two offences, and a fine of Rs 5,000 each. The judgment also has prescribed that Somappa will have to undergo an additional three months in jail, if he fails to pay the fine.

Senior assistant public prosecutor, Ajit Kumar D Hamigi, had appeared in the case on behalf of the prosecution.