In the first conviction in the multi-crore fake stamp paper scandal, a special court today sentenced alleged kingpin Abdul Karim Telgi and his two associates to ten years’ rigorous imprisonment and also fined them Rs 50,000 each for their role in selling counterfeit stamps of Rs 17 lakh face value to a legal firm here in 1995.This is the first conviction of Telgi, who is lodged in Pune’s Yerwada jail. This is also the first case in which trial was conducted through video conferencing by CBI.In the fake stamp scandal of nearly Rs 30,000 crore, Telgi faces a string of 48 cases registered against him in various places in the country, including Maharashtra and Karnataka.All the accused—Telgi and his associates Sanjay Gaikwad and Ram Ratan Soni—were awarded ten years RI and fined Rs 50,000 each on the charges of conspiracy (Section 120-B IPC). The court also sentenced Telgi to undergo ten years’ RI under Section 255 IPC (for counterfeiting government stamps) and asked him to pay Rs 50,000 fine.Besides, Telgi was sentenced to five years’ RI and Rs 20,000 fine under Sections 258 IPC (selling counterfeit stamps) and 259 IPC (possessing counterfeit stamps). Under Section 420 IPC (cheating) read with Section 511 IPC, he was awarded three years. All the sentences would run concurrently.Telgi did not appear before the court but pleaded, through video conferencing, for leniency as he was suffering from HIV/AIDS and also because his wife was admitted to hospital.
