CHENNAI — In a significant ruling on Thursday, a special court sentenced a retired curator and an accountant of the Government Museum in Egmore to five years of rigorous imprisonment each, after finding them guilty of criminal conspiracy and misappropriation of public funds amounting to ₹3.4 lakh. The offences took place between 2003 and 2004 and involved forged records, falsified entries, and a clear breach of public trust.
- Jawahar, the museum’s curator who retired in 2006, and M. Zaharullah, an accountant who retired in 2007, were also fined ₹2 lakh and ₹1.5 lakh respectively. The court dismissed their appeals for leniency, ruling that their advanced age and health conditions could not justify or mitigate the seriousness of their crimes.
Zaharullah, responsible for handling deposits from ticket sales, theatre caution deposits, book stall proceeds, staff deductions, and other operational collections, manipulated financial records and diverted funds for personal use. Meanwhile, Jawahar, who had the responsibility to review and verify all accounts and remittance documents, knowingly approved forged cashbooks and cheques, effectively enabling the fraud.
The scam came to light after internal discrepancies were detected by a committee constituted by the museum administration. The audit revealed that ₹81,429 from ticket and publication sales, ₹32,000 from theatre deposits, and ₹2,28,440 from various other heads were missing from treasury remittances. An investigation was initiated by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), which later filed its final chargesheet in 2013 after thoroughly scrutinizing financial records, cheque logs, and bank transactions.
The court observed that forged remittance challans and manipulated cashbooks were vital pieces of evidence. These were further corroborated by testimony from 25 prosecution witnesses, including museum ticketing staff and administrative personnel.
In their defense, both accused claimed that the financial irregularities stemmed from issues beyond their control, such as poor handover procedures from previous employees, frequent staff strikes at the State Bank of India, loss of records during a fire, and alternate remittance attempts through Indian Overseas Bank. They also pointed to the absence of objections in routine audit reports and reconciliations.
However, the court found their explanations unconvincing and unsupported by documentation. There was no evidence of either fire-related losses or alternate deposits, nor any official records to substantiate their claims. The judge emphasized that public servants entrusted with managing public funds are expected to exercise the highest standards of integrity and diligence, and any deviation from that duty warrants stern legal consequences.
The ruling is seen as a strong message against financial misconduct in government institutions and underscores the importance of accountability in public service.