Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 11 Jan: The prime accused in the Lada-Sarli Frontier Highway land compensation scam, former East Kameng DLRSO Takam Kechak, was granted bail by a special judge in Yupia on 7 January.
Kechak had been arrested on 17 December last year in connection with the land compensation scam by the Anti- Corruption Bureau (ACB). Special Judge (PCA) Dr Hiredra Kashyap issued the bail order.
The court order read: “It is observed that in the present case, there is no violation of Section 47 of the BNSS, as the grounds of arrest were duly communicated to the accused in writing.”
The court order also read, “It is also observed that there is non-compliance of Section 48 of the BNSS by the investigating officer of the case, and there is violation of constitutional mandate for which the accused Takam Kechak is to be entitled for the granting of bail.”
“It is seen that there are sufficient incriminating materials against the accused person, and there is also involvement of other persons in commission of the alleged crime,” the court further noted while granting bail.
Kechak was released on a bail bond of Rs 1,00,000, with the condition that he shall deposit his passport before the court and shall not leave the country during the pendency of the case.
The order also read that the alleged accused shall not directly or indirectly make any inducement, threat or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case. It read that the accused shall not induce or tamper with any of the witnesses or evidence, including his own relatives.
During the hearing of the bail application filed by one Tassar Nahio for the accused, the counsel for the accused, senior advocate A Bora, submitted that Kechak had no previous criminal antecedent.
Earlier, eight members of the All Nyishi Youth Association, East Kameng district unit had lodged a complaint against former East Kameng DC Himanshu Nigam, former East Kameng DLRSO Takam Kechak, district horticulture officer CK Tayum, DFO Abhinav Kumar, and other officials for alleged misappropriation of public funds vis-à-vis the Lada-Sarli Frontier Highway project.
It is alleged that Rs 109.65 crore was sanctioned for the execution of the Frontier Highway project (Packages 4 and 5), out of which Rs 77.20 crore has been disbursed as land compensation to the project-affected beneficiaries, and the remaining Rs 32.45 crore is unaccounted for.
The case was registered under Section 61/336/318/316 (5)/319 of the BNS w/s Section 7 and 13 (1) (a) (b) (2) of the PC Act, and the investigation is being carried out by the ACB.
