Former Member of Parliament of Araku in Andhra Pradesh Kothapalli Geetha and her husband P. Ramakoteshwara Rao have been lodged in a prison, after the CBI Special Court here sentenced them to undergo five-year rigorous imprisonment in a bank fraud case.
The couple, along with two others convicted in the same case, were shifted to the prison from the court hall soon after the Special Court judge pronounced the verdict late on Tuesday. Ms. Geetha had won from Araku (reserved for Scheduled Tribes) in 2014 on YSRCP ticket. Four years later, she quit the party and started her own party. Ahead of 2019 elections, she joined the BJP.
Ms. Geetha and her husband were facing charges of defrauding Punjab National Bank to the tune of ₹42 crore. Her husband Rao is managing director of Visweswara Infrastructure Private Limited company, which too was listed as third accused in the case.
The CBI, which registered and investigated the case, framed charges against them under different sections of law. The Special Court sentenced Mr. Rao to undergo five-year jail term holding him guilty under IPC Section 420 (cheating) and imposed a fine of ₹25,000.
He was also convicted of the charges under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 468 (forgery for cheating) and 471 (using forged documents as genuine) of IPC. For each charge, he was sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment of five years along with imposition of ₹25,000 fine. All the jail terms run concurrently.
Ms. Geetha was held guilty of cheating charge. The judge awarded her five years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed ₹25,000 fine. She was also found convicted for the charges under Sections 120-B, 468 and 471 of IPC and awarded five-year jail term for each of the offence along with ₹25,000 fine. All these jail terms run concurrently.
Fifth accused in the case K.K. Aravindakshan too was convicted for the charges of cheating. He was handed down a sentence of five years rigorous imprisonment and along with ₹25,000 fine. He was also convicted under different sections of Prevention of Corruption Act. Another accused S. Raj Kumar was also convicted of different charges and awarded five years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of ₹25,000.
