Imphal, January 02: In a landmark judgement the Special Court (No 1, Manipur West), has found two doctors guilty of swindling Govt money while purchasing medical equipment.

The case stretches back to 1981 and involves the present Medical Superintendent of State's Tuberculosis Hospital Gurumayum Mani Sharma and Chief Medical Officer, Imphal Ayekpam Gojendra Singh.

The verdict on the case was pronounced by the Special Judge (No 1, manipur West) Th Surbala Devi on December 29 last, who held the duo guilty under various sections of the IPC related to abetment of conspiracy, cheating, forgery and prevention of corruption.

As per case dossiers, the then Medical officer Mani Sharma in collusion with A Gojendra who then held the post of MO in-charge of Sterilization and Stores in the Family Welfare Department-procured 40 electrical cauteries, equipment for healing skin etc at exorbitant rate of about Rs 2 lakh using forged bills.

Appearing on behalf of the State exclusively for the medical scam case, Special Public Prosecutor P Ibomcha Singh, assisted by advocate Chitrabhanu Devi, presented before the Court that one of the accused wrote to the then Deputy Secretary Thokchom Surjit (now expired) to sanction Rs 1,99,200 for purchase of the cauteries from an Imphal-based firm Ms Sorumai Agencies, on October 24, 1981.in the purchase document the price of one cautery was quoted to be Rs 4980 contrary to the then market price of the same item rated at Rs 445 only.

With the Deputy Secretary on the same day receiving the document having issued the 'false sanction order' and amount encashed with actual purchase, the equipment were later procured from a Kolkata (Calcutta) firm.

On February 1982, the matter was taken up by the Imphal Police station which registered an FIR case against the accused persons before the case was handled by the State Home Department that subsequently roped in the service of the CBI on August 21 of the same year.

Inspite of the CBI sleuths submitting chargesheet before the Court of the Special Judge accusing Mani Sharma, A Gojendra, a doctor and an official of the Treasury Department, lack of documentary evidence to substantiate the charges led to the judge discharging the latter two but ordering further trial against Mani and Gojendra that culminated in their convictions at the fag end of the year just gone by.

The punishable degree of almost charges levelled against them is said to be maximum seven years in prison with fine.

The same court is also informed to be processing cases pertaining to other medical scandals based on charges submitted by the CBI.

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