Mohali | Decade on, court acquits treasury officer in stamp paper theft case

Citing vigilance department’s inability to produce proper evidence, additional district and sessions judge Sandeep Kumar Singla acquitted treasury officer Sukhwant Kaur in a decade-old stamp paper theft case.

 Additional district and sessions judge Sandeep Kumar Singla on Wednesday acquitted a Dera Bassi treasury officer for the lack of evidence in a decade-old stamp paper theft case.

An additional district and sessions judge acquitted treasury officer Sukhwant Kaur in a decade-old stamp paper theft case. (iStockphoto)

The case dates back to June 2012, when the vigilance department arrested the treasury officer, Sukhwant Kaur, and assistant treasury officer Ramesh Kumar for having embezzled 47 stamp papers valued at ₹7.05 lakh. They were accused of tampering with the sales report register, using white fluid to forge the figures.

Kumar passed away during the case proceedings.

However, in an embarrassment to the vigilance department, the judge, during the concluding remarks of the case, opined that they failed to produce any concrete evidence to corroborate the allegations against the accused.

The defence counsel, HS Dhanoa, said as the vigilance department failed to produce evidence proving the offence committed by the officer, the court acquitted her.