Charges framed in cat eye stud scam

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 28: In the much publicized cat eye stud purchase scam, Special Judge Anticorruption Jammu Puneet Gupta today framed corruption charges against the then Superintending Engineer R&B Jammu-Kathua Circle K K Arora (retd as Chief Engineer), Purshtom Kumar Samnotra, the then XEn PWD R&B Tawi Bridge-cum-Medical College Division, Sat Pal Pandoh, the then Executive Engineer R&B Construction Division 2nd Jammu (now retired) and Rajinder Mahajan, Proprietor M/s R-Deen Trading Corporation, Chandigarh.
According to the case, these accused persons in league with each other purchased 5292 cat eye studs from R-Deen Trading Corporation, Chandigarh and Shiva Industries, New Delhi on highly exorbitant rates to confer undue benefit upon the supplier firm and themselves. The purchase made in 2003 was not actually required as 1265 eye studs were found lying in the Tawi Bridge-Medical College Division store one year after the purchase.
In this way, the accused persons caused loss of Rs 26,61,240 to the State exchequer and conferred undue pecuniary benefits upon themselves and suppliers thereby committing offences punishable under Section 5(1) (d) read with 5(2) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 2006 and 120-B RPC.