Former Director General of Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) Suresh Kumar Srivastav has been acquitted by a Delhi court of charges of possessing disproportionate assets worth Rs 35 lakh.
The court granted the benefit of doubt to Srivastav and said that the CBI has not been able to prove beyond all reasonable doubt that he was guilty of criminal misconduct on account of having been found in possession of disproportionate assets.
"This court is therefore of the considered opinion that the accused is entitled to be granted the benefit of doubt and it is to be held that the prosecution has not been able to prove beyond all reasonable doubt that the accused was guilty of criminal misconduct on account of having been found in possession of disproportionate assets.
"As such this court hereby acquits the accused of the offence that he has been charged with," Special CBI Judge Anu Grover Baliga said.
The prosecution had alleged that Srivastav, a UP resident, was possessing disproportionate assets worth Rs 34,96,585.
A case was lodged by the CBI against him in 2006 that during the period of September 1996 to February 2005, Srivastav while being posted in different capacities, was alleged to have acquired huge assets both movable and immovable.
He had joined IMD in 1973 and was promoted as Director General of Meteorology here in 2004 and took voluntarily retirement in January 2005.
During the trial, Srivastav claimed that he was falsely implicated in the case. He said that being the president of Commission for Instrument, a body constituted by World Meteorological Organization (WMO), he was deputed more than 30 times to various countries and he was paid allowances by the Indian government and WMO.
He claimed that he was able to save more than 70 per cent of his deputation allowances and he had also furnished proof of the same to the investigating officer who "deliberately" did not take it into consideration.
To this, the court said on the basis of the evidence led by defence witnesses and taking into consideration the actual amount that was paid to Srivastav per day, it was satisfied that he can claim he was able to save 70 per cent of the deputation allowances paid to him.
