Patna, Sept. 4: The disproportionate asset of suspended IAS officer Shiva Shanker Verma was confiscated today on the order of the special vigilance court. No family member was present at the Rukunpura house of Verma when the authorities took its possession.

A team of administrative and police officers led by additional collector Suresh Kumar Sharma reached Rukunpura around 4pm. They broke open the locks at the main entrance of the three-storeyed building and entered the house. The locks of the rooms were also broken.

At least five locks were broken and new locks were put in place. Today’s morning newspaper was still lying on the veranda of the house, indicating that its residents had abandoned the place much earlier. The residents of the locality said the officers had visited the house around 9am today to verify if anybody was present in the house.

A notice pasted on the wall of the building after its confiscation read: “The Patna district administration takes the possession of this property on the order of the additional district and sessions judge VI-cum-special vigilance court-II designate in special confiscation case No.-03/2010.” The court notice has been written on the wall of the building near the entrance.

While the officers were busy sealing the house and writing the notice of the court on the wall of the building, the residents of the locality watched the scene from their rooftops. “Galat kaam ka yehi anjam hota hai (This is the fallout of wrong deeds),” said an elderly man.

The notice for confiscation of property of Verma, his wife Usha Verma and her sister Suman Lata Verma was issued by the special vigilance judge, R.C. Mishra, on March 17, 2010. Though the vigilance had sought confiscation of property of 10 accused, the court granted permission for confiscation of disproportionate assets of only three persons.

The trial against Verma, who was put under suspension soon after the registration of the disproportionate assets case, has not started in the absence of prosecution sanction. But the special vigilance unit moved the special vigilance court seeking permission for confiscation of his property under the Special Courts Act 2009.

Sources said the process of confiscation of the property of Suman Lata Verma and her husband (who is a bank official) would start soon. “We will seek the assistance of the district administration of Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh for confiscation of the property of the other accused,” said a senior officer.

Reacting to the execution of the court order with regard to the confiscation of disproportionate assets of Verma, chief minister Nitish Kumar said the process of confiscation of disproportionate assets of corrupt had started. Now the administration would initiate the process of opening a school for the children of the poor in the building, he said.

“This is a lesson for others,” he said.

Patna district magistrate Sanjay Kumar Singh said the order of the vigilance court had been executed by the district administration. “I will not make any comment beyond that,” he told The Telegraph.