Date:27/04/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/04/27/stories/2008042759600300.htm

New Delhi

Charges to be framed against ex-DDA Vice-Chairman

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: A court here on Saturday ordered framing of charges against former Delhi Development Authority Vice-Chairman Subhash Sharma and eight others in a case of extending “undue benefits” to a major construction company against monetary considerations five years ago.

Special CBI Judge I.K. Kochhar ordered the framing of charges following prima facie evidence against all the nine accused. The charges are to be framed under the Prevention of Corruption Act and other sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Apart from Subhash Sharma, the other accused are Anand Mohan Saran, Vijay Risbud and Jagdish Chandra (all of whom were officers of Commissioner level in the DDA when the case was registered), alleged middleman Dharamvir Khattar, Ajay Khanna of construction company DLF Universal and three others -- Ravinder Taneja, G R Gogia and Mukesh Saini. The court would formally frame charges against the accused on April 30.

Criminal conspiracy

According to the CBI, the DDA officials entered into a criminal conspiracy with the other accused through Khattar and extended undue benefits to DLF Universal allowing it to increase the floor area ratio (FAR) to 300 in place of 139 in a project at Jhandewalan in Central Delhi.

The accused officials, who were to get a bribe of Rs.1.10 crore from the construction company, had charged half the prevailing market rates for allowing the increase in FAR to the company, the CBI had alleged. The accused had kept putting off the matter until they had ensured that half the amount had been paid. While the charge sheet in the case had been filed on April 1, 2005, the FIR was been registered on March 26, 2003.

Earlier this month, the court had also framed charges against the former DDA Vice-Chairman and others, including Khattar, in a case of allowing illegal installation of a lift in West Delhi.