Fake stamp paper case: Telgi sentenced to 10 yrs RI

Abdul Karim Telgi, kingpin of the multi-crore fake stamp paper case, was sentenced to 10 years rigorous imprisonment by a special court in Chennai on Wednesday. Special Judge N Velu also imposed a fine of Rs three crore on Telgi. In case of non-payment of the fine, the accused will have to undergo three more years of RI, the judge said.

Telgi has already been sentenced to 13 years RI by a Pune court in connection with the fake stamp paper scam. Today's sentence will run concurrently along with the Pune court order, Judge Velu said.

Allowing the petitions filed by Telgi and four others pleading guilty, the judge convicted and sentenced Abdul Wahid, Balaji and Jacob Chacko to five years RI. He sentenced another convict Peter Kennedy to three years RI. The judge also imposed a fine of Rs three lakh on Abdul Wahid, on the non-payment of which he would have to undergo 18 months RI.

Balaji was imposed a fine of Rs two crore. In default, he would have to undergo two years of RI. Rs three lakh fine was imposed on Jacob Chacko and in default he would have to undergo another RI of 18 months.

The judge imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on Peter Kennedy, on the non-payment of which he would undergo seven and a half months RI.

The judge read out the sentence to Telgi, Wahid and Chacko, who are lodged in Yerawada prison in Pune, through video conferencing. Balaji, who was on bail in this case and lodged in Bangalore prison in connection with a similar case, was produced before the court. Kennedy, who was also out on bail, was present in the court when the order was pronounced.

The judge said the period of sentence already undergone by these five accused would be set off. The other accused in the case, suspended Deputy Inspector General Mohammad Ali then city Assistant Commissioner Shankar, Nizamuddin and his wife Nasneen, and LIC agent, Ramasamy Sadhu, were present at the court.

The judge posted the further hearing of the case to February 15. The judge had earlier, convicted and sentenced Sarfraz Nawaz, another accused who pleaded guilty, to five years' RI in the case.

According to the CBI, the accused conspired, printed, and circulated fake stamp papers in the state, thereby causing losses to the public exchequer. The accused were charged with cheating, conspiracy, counterfeiting and forgery.