Gangtok, Aug 9 (PTI): The Sikkim High Court today reduced the sentence of former Chief Minister Nar Bahadur Bhandari from six months to one month’s imprisonment in a 27-year old corruption case.

Acting Chief Justice Sonam P Wangdi said Bhandari will have to serve one month imprisonment against the six months term awarded by a trial Court in the corruption case relating to awarding of contracts in water supply scheme in Rural Development Department in 1983-84. The sentence was reduced keeping in view the fact that more than 27 years have passed since the commission of the offence and the amount of physical and mental sufferings the accused had undergone all these years, the court said.

The court, however, retained the fine of Rs 5,000.The CBI had filed a case in the designated CBI court accusing Bhandari of abusing his official position. The agency had claimed that the decision of Bhandari caused financial losses to the state exchequer.The CBI court in 2008 had convicted 12 people including Bhandari. Seven of them had gone for appeal in the High Court against the trial court’s verdict.

 

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