PATNA: The clock of justice in Patna district courts approached a rare moment on Monday when Special Judge Avinash Kumar of the CBI court delivered the verdict in a 15-year-old bank fraud case not inside the courtroom, but on the roadside. The extraordinary hearing was held outside the court building, where accused Jai Narayan Singh, a frail 95-year-old man, was lying inside a car, barely able to move his legs. At the end of his life, he admitted his guilt and asked for forgiveness. Judge Jay Narayan convicted him and decided the case after imposing a fine of Rs 2,000 on him. He was spared a prison sentence due to his advanced age and debilitated condition. The special court also took note of the fact that Jay Narayan had already returned to UCO Bank the entire loan amount – around Rs 4 lakh – which he had fraudulently obtained 15 years ago to buy a tractor on the basis of forged documents. The CBI registered the case in 2011 against fake borrowers and other accused persons, including UCO Bank employees, who allegedly misappropriated public funds under the cover of farm loan schemes in Jamui district of Bihar. The judge heard the matter for about 35 minutes on the road leading to the Patna Civil Courts.
