J P Sharma, 71, the then Deputy Director of CWC, was convicted for cheating and using forged documents as genuine under IPC and for offences under Prevention of Corruption Act.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs one lakh on him saying Sharma "lacked total integrity and commitment to his own department."
Special Judge Dharmesh Sharma, however, acquitted eight other accused, including the convict's wife, daughter and two sons, saying the convict violated the "sacred duties" towards his family and acted in a "diabolical manner in roping in his family members in the crime without their full knowledge".
"This case stands on a different footing. The convict J P Sharma was a husband, father, guardian and protector in a pious relationship of utter trust and faith with his family members but his conduct shows that he violated his sacred duties...So much so that they (Sharma's family members) have to undergo the ignominy of trial for about 8 years," the judge said.
The court said it appeared that in the entire sequence of events the poor wife, daughter and two sons had hardly any say and had been taken for a ride by him.
Besides the convict's four family members -- Trivesh Sharma, Gyanender Sharma, Pushpa Sharma and Sunita Mishra, the court also let off four other CWC officials Y P Sharma, Dominic Dung Dung, S K Aggarwal and N R Suman, all of whom were made accused in the case by CBI. (More)