Gangtok: After a prolonged trial lasting nearly 13 years, a designated CBI court on Monday sentenced the former Sikkim Chief Minister Nar Bahadur Bhandari to one month jail in a disproportionate assets case.

The sentence, delivered under Section 389 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947, also included a fine of Rs. 5,000.

However, special judge S.W. Lepcha immediately granted bail to Mr. Bhandari after he furnished a personal bond of Rs. 25,000.

Defence counsel prayed that the quantum of punishment should be reduced to a minimum considering the advanced age and poor health of Mr. Bhandari.

The charge sheet filed by the CBI in September 1994 accused Mr. Bhandari of misusing his position as Chief Minister in the mid 80s and acquiring assets worth Rs. 15.22 lakh, disproportionate to his known sources of income, including a five-storey building named Primula Cottage in the heart of the town.

The case, RC5(A)/84/ACU, was first registered by the CBI in 1984. But the charge sheet was filed only in September 1994.

Mr. Bhandari was convicted and held guilty in this case on May 26. Mr. Bhandari was Chief Minister from 1979 to 1994 and is currently president of the Pradesh Congress Committee. — PTI

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