A special CBI court in Ranchi on Saturday sentenced former Jharkhand minister Enosh Ekka and his wife Menon Ekka to seven years of rigorous imprisonment in a 15-year-old illegal land transaction case involving violations of the Chotanagpur Tenancy (CNT) Act.
The court also imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh each on the couple. In the same case, Ranchi’s former Land Reforms Deputy Collector (LRDC) Kartik Prabhat was sentenced to four years of rigorous imprisonment, along with a fine of ₹1 lakh.
Several other accused were also convicted and awarded sentences. The court ruled that in the event of non-payment of the fine, each convict would have to undergo an additional one year of imprisonment.
On Friday, the special Central Bureau of Investigation court had pronounced all accused guilty in the case. The quantum of punishment was decided on Saturday after a hearing where the convicts appeared via video conferencing.
According to the prosecution, Enosh Ekka misused his position as a minister and used fake residential addresses to facilitate the purchase and sale of tribal land, in violation of the CNT Act.
The then LRDC Kartik Prabhat was accused of assisting him in these illegal transactions. Investigations revealed large-scale land purchases carried out between March 2006 and May 2008 with the collusion of government officials and staff.
Properties were allegedly bought in the name of Menon Ekka, including 22 kathas in Hinoo, 12 acres in Ormanjhi, 4 acres in Neori, and 9 decimals in Chutia’s Siramtoli Mauza area.
The CBI successfully established all charges in court, leading to the convictions. This is not the first criminal case against Enos Ekka.
He has already been convicted in the para-teacher murder case, a money laundering case, and a disproportionate assets case. The latest verdict marks the fourth conviction against the former minister.
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