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A special Central Bureau of Investigation court on Wednesday convicted Abdul Karim Telgi and 11 others in one of the fake stamp paper scam-related cases but rejected an application seeking to make former Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh an accused.
Ram Ratan Soni, one of the accused, had alleged that it was during Deshmukh's tenure as state revenue minister that Telgi was granted the stamp vending license, so he be impleaded in the case. But the court rejected the plea.
The court, however, sentenced Telgi to life imprisonment in cases registered at Colaba and Cuff Parade police stations in Mumbai, and at Economic Offence Wing. The cases were later taken over by the CBI.
Apart from Telgi, three police officials and a government officer were also convicted for assisting him.
The allegations against Telgi and others were that they sold fake stamp papers worth Rs 70 lakh to some major companies.
Police officer Kulwant Parmar, who investigated the case registered at Colaba police station, A B Sonwalkar who investigated the case registered at the Cuff Parade police station, and Ganpat Jadhav who was attached to EOW, were convicted for criminal misconduct.
Parmar, Sonwalkar and Jadhav were sentenced to six, four and five years' imprisonment respectively. Shrikant Rane, the officer from the stamps office, was also convicted.
The other convicts are Shabir Shaikh, Mohmad Yasin, Ramratan Soni, Riyaz Mokashi, Mallesh Dhulannavar, Sanjay Gaikwad, Daniel Kanikraj -- all convicted for conspiracy and assisting Telgi for distribution and supply of the counterfeit stamps.