The Rouse Avenue Court on Monday convicted former Rajya Sabha MP Ajay Kumar Sahni (presently RJD MLA, Bihar) and two others for the offences of criminal conspiracy and commission of the substantive offences reserved in the Leave Travel Concession (LTC) scam case, which was investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The Special Judge MK Nagpal on Monday, while passing judgement, said that, “it is held that the prosecution has also been successful in establishing its charge for the said substantive offences as framed against Anil Kumar Sahni. In view of the discussion, all three accused persons Anil Kumar Sahani, N.S. Nair and Arvind Tiwari are being held guilty and convicted for the offence of criminal conspiracy punishable U/S 120B r/w 420/471 IPC and also r/w Section 13 (1) (d) r/w 13 (2) of the PC Act. Apart from the above, Anil Kumar Sahni is also being held guilty and convicted for the commission of the substantive offences punishable U/S 201 IPC, 420 r/w 511 IPC, and 471 IPC, as well as U/S 15 r/w 13 (1) (d) r/w 13 (2) of the PC Act. The Court said arguments on points of sentence will be held on August 31, 2022, said the Court.According to the CBI charge sheet filed in 2015, Anil Kumar Sahani, a JD(U) MP from Bihar, and others were involved in the alleged LTC scam that broke out in 2013, with the probe agency claiming they caused a loss of Rs 23.71 lakh to the exchequer.
Besides Sahani, others named in the CBI charge sheet were Anup Singh Panwar, an employee of Delhi-based Air Cruise Travels Private Limited, N S Nair, then Office Superintendent (Traffic), Air India and Arvind Tiwari, a private person. The charge sheet was filed in the designated CBI court under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code, which included criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery, and abuse of official position. According to the CBI, during the investigation, it was found that Sahani, in conspiracy with other people, allegedly used forged e-tickets and fake boarding passes to defraud Rajya Sabha to the tune of Rs 23.71 lakh as travel and dearness allowance reimbursement without actually making the actual journey.
The CBI registered the case in 2013 against Sahani and others on the allegations of claiming reimbursement from the Secretariat on the basis of forged air tickets and boarding passes in order to cheat the government.