Bank Scam: Nagpur Court Refuses to Stay Congress Leader Sunil Kedar’s Conviction

A Nagpur sessions court on Saturday refused to grant a stay on the conviction of former Maharashtra minister and Congress leader Sunil Kedar in a bank scam case. The court also rejected his plea to suspend the five-year sentence handed down by a lower court last week. District Judge RS Patil, in addition, dismissed Kedar’s bail application.

On December 22, a magistrate’s court in Nagpur sentenced Kedar and five others to five years of rigorous imprisonment for the misappropriation of funds at the Nagpur District Central Cooperative Bank (NDCCB) in 2002. Kedar served as the chairman of the bank during the time of the scam. The court imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on each of the six convicts.

Kedar challenged his conviction and sentencing in the sessions court through an application filed by his lawyer Deven Chavhan, which was heard on Saturday.

According to the prosecution, the NDCCB incurred a loss of Rs 125 crore in government securities in 2002 due to the violation of rules in investing funds through Home Trade Private Limited.

Kedar was convicted under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust), 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating), 471 (using a forged document as genuine), 120(b) (criminal conspiracy), and 34 (common intention).

Following his conviction, the state legislature secretariat disqualified Kedar as an MLA from the date of his conviction on December 22, citing provisions of Article 19 (1) (e) of the Constitution of India and Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.