Court acquits former minister Thungon in DA case

New Delhi, May 8 (IANS) A special court here has acquitted former Union Minister P.K. Thungon in a two-decade-old disproportionate assets (DA) case, court sources said on Monday.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge Pitamber Dutt acquitted Thungon of the charges levelled against him and said that "the prosecution has not succeeded in proving offence under of the Prevention of Corruption Act".

The CBI had chargesheeted Thungon for possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income to the tune of Rs 1,08,16,532 between June 1991 and April 1996, when he was the Minister of State in Ministry of Urban Affairs and Employment. The CBI said that he could not furnish any satisfactory explanation regarding this income.

"The prosecution has failed to prove on record that accused Thungon was found in possession of assets which was disproportionate to his known sources of income," the court said in its May 6 order.

"I am of the considered view that the prosecution has failed to prove on record beyond reasonable doubt that accused Thungon was having disproportionate assets to the tune of Rs 1,08,16,532 beyond his known sources of income, which he could not explain satisfactorily," the judge said.

Defence counsel Harsh Sharma and Vaibhavi Sharma said the prosecution had miserably failed in proving charges against Thungon, as he had sufficient income from horticulture and agriculture as well as from his dairy business, which had not been taken into consideration.

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