The trial, presided over by a Brigadier with three Colonels as members, began on February 16 and concluded late at night on August 16 at N Area in Chandigarh.A Colonel of the Army Service Corps (ASC), who had commanded a battalion in Ladakh, has been sentenced to six years of Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) and cashiered (dishonourable dismissal from service) after he was found guilty of corruption by a Summary General Court Martial (SGCM) here in Chandigarh.Colonel Vikas Pandey, who commanded the 503 ASC Battalion under the 3 Infantry Division in Ladakh, was found guilty of all seven charges of fraud and corruption the SGCM levelled against him.The trial, presided over by a Brigadier with three Colonels as members, began on February 16 and concluded late at night on August 16 at N Area in Chandigarh.Army sources said the officer had been nominated for the prestigious Higher Command course when “a pseudo-anonymous complaint was made against him about financial irregularities”. After conducting a Court of Inquiry and Summary of Evidence, it was decided to try him by a court-martial with one charge under Section 52 (f) of the Army Act (intent to defraud) and six charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.While serving as the Commanding Officer of the ASC Battalion, Colonel Pandey, with intent to defraud, opened, operated and closed institutional bank account in the name of “Regimental Fund Account” at YES Bank’s Leh Branch, with account type as “Defence” by signing and using his appointment stamp and Battalion’s round stamp, it was alleged.It was also alleged that, being a public servant, he “intentionally enriched himself illicitly” during the period of his office as the Commanding Officer of the 503 Army Service Corps Battalion between August 10, 2020 and September 20, 2021, by receiving a sum of Rs 63,66,096 in YES Bank, Leh Branch.According to sources, the Commanding Officer was also accused of receiving Rs 4 lakh while serving in Ladakh, while a third charge alleged that he illicitly purchased a flat in Jaipur in the name of his wife and made the full payment of Rs 32,60,000 — “disproportionate to his known sources of income”.Story continues below this adThe Army also accused the Colonel of illicitly purchasing a BMW car in the name of his wife, and making the full payment of Rs 48,48,258 — “disproportionate to his known sources of income”.Two more charges relating to receiving Rs 21 lakh in cash illegally during his tenure as the Commanding Officer were also levelled against him, sources said.The SGCM found him guilty of all these charges.The sentence to the officer is subject to confirmation by the higher Army authorities.Earlier, the Commanding Officer had moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which observed that his sentence would be subject to the disposal of a petition filed by him in the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT).Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd