Aizawl, July 25,2020 : On Monday, Special Judge (Prevention of Corruption Act) Vanlallenmawia sentenced Mizoram's lone BJP MLA Dr BD.Chakma, Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC) current CEM Buddha Lila Chakma, and nine CADC Executive Members & Former Members to one year in prison on corruption charges at the District Court of Aizawl. The court also fined the convicts Rs. 10.000 for the decade-long corruption case. They were released on bail for 90 days after each posting a Rs. 20000 bail bond.
Dr. BD Chakma, the sitting MLA from Tuichawng assembly constituency, has become Mizoram's first legislator to be convicted in a graft case. On July 22, 13 people were convicted in a graft case under Section 13(1)(d) read with 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, including Dr. Chakma and Chakma Autonomous District Council Chief Executive Member (CEM) Buddha Lila Chakma. Amar Smriti Chakma, Adikanta Tongchangya, Parimal Chakma, Sushil Kumar Chakma, Chitra Kumar Chakma, Ajoy Kumar Chakma, Buban Kumar Chakma, Mohan Chakma, Amit Kumar Chakma, Susan Chakma, and Taranisen Chakma are the others sentenced to jail, all current and former members of the Chakma autonomous council in Mizoram.
In 2017, a complaint was filed with the Mizoram Governor alleging scandalous financial irregularities and misappropriation of funds intended for the District Council's development projects. The complaint was, ironically, initiated by the BJP's then-general secretary. Dr. BD Chakma was a Congress Party member and CEM of CADC at the time. After leaving the Congress, he joined the BJP and won the Mizoram Assembly elections in 2018, becoming the party's first legislator in the state. However, the ongoing case came back to haunt the party a decade later.
Aizawl District Court Special Judge (Prevention of Corruption Act) Vanlalenmawia on Monday convicted the 13 people in a case of embezzlement of Rs 1,541,73,238 from Central development funds under the Chakma Autonomous District Council (CADC) between the year 2013-2014. During that time, all the accused were elected members of the CADC.
At a court hearing on Wednesday, Mizoram BJP MLA BD Chakma informed that he would challenge the judgement at the Gauhati High Court.
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