By IANS,
New Delhi : A city court Monday framed charges against former minister of state for urban development P.K. Thungan and 17 others for a case of out-of-turn allotment of houses to government employees during 1993-1995.
Additional Sessions Judge O.P. Saini said there was credible prima-facie evidence against the accused to proceed with the trial. Recording of evidence will be done on April 13.
Besides Thungan, 17 others, including D.D. Arora who was additional personal secretary to then urban development minister Sheila Kaul, were accused by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 1996 for allegedly receiving illegal gratification from 102 government employees for granting out-of-turn accommodation.
All the accused have been booked under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act, dealing with cheating and accepting illegal gratification.
The first information report (FIR) was lodged on Feb 14, 1996, following an apex court order on a public interest petition that challenged the controversial government policy on house allotment.
According to the charge sheet, Arora hatched the criminal conspiracy with his son Virender Arora and others and compelled the government employees to pay bribes for out-of-turn allotment of houses.
They had invited applications from 102 employees during 1993-1995 and taken bribes for themselves and others, including Thungan, the CBI alleged.