The Allahabad High Court rejected the anticipatory bail application of one Devendra Kumar Hangal and found that corruption is a menace that eats the lifeblood of the country’s economy.
The complainant allegedly indulged in a conspiracy with officials of the Noida Development Authority and spent several crores of rupees from the public fund released for the construction of a cricket stadium with a pavilion building at the Integrated Sports Complex in Noida.
Hangal, through his private limited company, allegedly conspired with Yadav Singh, who was the chief engineer of NOIDA Authority, Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority and Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority, for the fraud.
While passing the order, Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh observed, “The nature of the offense has to be considered by the court while considering the anticipatory/regular bail application and the court should refuse bail if the offense is serious and large in scale, especially in economic offences.”
“Corruption is a menace that eats away at the lives of this country’s economy.” On 13 January 2012, an FIR was lodged against Hangal at the Sector 39 Police Station of Noida in Uttar Pradesh under various sections of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
The investigation into the case was transferred to the CBI on 16 July 2015 through an order issued by the High Court. The CBI investigated the matter and filed a supplementary chargesheet.
The court, after perusing the investigation report and hearing the arguments of the rival parties, found that Hangal was involved in a conspiracy to defraud public funds.
“The charge sheet and the investigation report indicated a deep-rooted conspiracy to defraud the public fund by the present accused-complainant and other co-accused in carrying out works at the cricket stadium of M/s Anand Buildtech Private Limited, the director of which is the present applicant and also its managing partner,” he said.
In its January 25 order, the court also said, “From a reading of the charge sheet, it would be clear that since the accused-complainant had constructed two houses for the accused Yadav Singh and Smt Vidya Devi, sister-in-law of Yadav Singh, the selection committee was bound to see that for the accused applicant’s firm to qualify and to be tendered at exorbitant prices without any competition.
