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Mizoram’s lone BJP MLA, 12 others sentenced to 1 year jail in 2013 graft case
Dr. Buddha Dhan Chakma joined the BJP after resigning from the Congress in 2017 and become the first ever BJP MLA in Mizoram in 2018
The court of the special judge (Prevention of Corruption Act) in Mizoram on Monday sentenced former Congress minister and lone Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator in the state Dr. Buddha Dhan Chakma and 12 other Chakma leaders to one year’s rigorous imprisonment for embezzling development fund worth over ₹130 lakh in the Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC) in south Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district between 2013 and 2018.
However, the 13 leaders were released on bail the same day.
The Congress was in power in CADC in 2013 with Dr. Budhha Dhan Chakma as the chief executive member (CEM). Chakma was later elected as an MLA on a Congress ticket and became a minister of state in Lal Thanhawla’s cabinet till his resignation in 2017 in protest against the denial of medical seats to four Chakma students by the state government. Soon after his resignation, he joined the BJP and was elected as a legislator in the last assembly polls in 2018 to become the first ever BJP MLA in the state.
On July 22, the court convicted the 13 Chakma leaders under Section 13(1)(d) read with 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 for abusing their official powers and withdrawing ₹137.10 lakh of special assistance fund meant for implementation of development work as advance salaries. The court announced sentences against the convicts on Monday.
Apart from Buddha Dhan Chakma, the convicts included incumbent chief executive member (CEM) of CADC, Buddha Lila Chakma, two executive members (EM), two sitting members (MDC) of CADC and 3 former CEMs of the council. The remaining four are former EMs of the CADC.
All the convicts were then members of the CADC at the time of committing the offences.
According to the sentence order pronounced by the special judge Vanlalenmawia, a fine of ₹10,000 each was slapped against the13 convicts, apart from sentencing to undergo rigorous imprisonment for 1 year.
They will undergo simple imprisonment for another 30 days if they fail to pay the fines, the order said.
The court of the special judge also released the convicts on bail following a plea by the convicts’ counsel that they (convicts) will challenge the court verdicts at a higher court.
Earlier, Buddha Dhan Chakma told reporters that they will challenge the judgements at the Gauhati high court.
In 2017, current state BJP president Vanlalhmuaka, who was then the party general secretary, raised complaints over irregularities in the Chakma council asking the state governor to dissolve it.
Subsequently, the governor constituted a one-man inquiry commission of Dr A Muthamma, the then deputy commissioner of Lawngtlai district.
After the commission submitted its report to the governor, an under secretary of the state district council and minority affairs filed a first information report (FIR) with the state Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) in 2018.
