Spouse of corrupt babu equally guilty: Bombay High
Court
MUMBAI: As per a recent ruling of the Bombay High
Court, the spouse of a government officer involved in
a corruption case is equally guilty, considering the
fact that both of them have benefited from the
ill-gotten wealth.
This ruling was passed by Justice V R Kingaonkar of
the Aurangabad Bench of the High Court in a case where
he held Dhule resident Mangalabai Wagh guilty of
abetment in a disproportionate assets case for
allowing her husband Bhaskar Wagh to acquire several
properties in her name.
The Judge observed that Mangala has shared immovable
property as well as a vehicle to her name despite zero
income of her own. "It will have to be said that she
abetted the commission of offence of criminal
misconduct by her husband (Wagh)," the ruling
remarked.
The court upheld the trial court verdict sentencing
Mangalabai to three years' imprisonment and a fine of
Rs 2 lakh. The court also dismissed an appeal filed by
Wagh challenging his seven years imprisonment and Rs 3
lakh fine.
Wagh, who worked as a cashier in the Minor Irrigation
Department of a zilla parishad drew a monthly salaray
of Rs 1,630. Wagh however, possessed movable and
immovable properties, including a fleet of cars, worth
Rs 20 lakh that were acquired between 1984 and 1989.
Wagh could not explain disproportionate assets to the
tune of Rs 9 lakh before the trial court. Although
Wagh had claimed that the assets were acquired from
agricultural income, he could not provide proof for
the same.
Justice Kingaonkar observed that since 1983 onwards,
Wagh started purchasing immovable properties one after
another and that it is highly improbable that it was
within the lawful means of the Class III government
servant to acquire them.
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