By IANS
Bangalore : A special court Thursday sentenced Abdul Karim Telgi, the main accused in a multi-billion rupee fake stamp scam, to seven years in jail for trying to secure bail on the basis of a fake medical certificate.
The designated Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court also sentenced two doctors – K.M. Channkeshava and K.H. Gyanendrappa – to a similar sentence for giving Telgi a false medical certificate to help him get bail on medical grounds.
The court imposed a fine of Rs.2.5 million on Telgi and Rs.1.4 million on each of the two doctors.
Special Judge Vishwanath Virupaksh Angadi said the court was awarding "maximum punishment" as it was a national issue.
The two doctors were found guilty of accepting bribe and issuing the false certificates, the judge said.
This is the first case in which Telgi has been sentenced under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and the third in which he has been convicted, said the CBI.
The trial started in September 2005, and was held via video conferencing through which Telgi appeared from Yerawada Jail in Pune, where he is currently lodged.
The CBI had registered the case in 2002 on the orders of the Supreme Court.
Telgi, who was in Bangalore Central Jail in 2002, had then complained of ill- health. The medical officer of the jail referred him to Victoria Hospital, where he was produced before Channkeshava, administrative officer, who called Gyanendrappa and requested him to examine Telgi.
Gyanendrappa issued him a medical certificate, advising that he be kept in a calm and homely atmosphere.