The first conviction in a disproportionate assets case under the provisions of Bihar Special Courts Act, 2009, came on Monday, a little over six years after the Act came into force in the state.

A special vigilance court headed by Ravindra Nath Tripathi awarded five years imprisonment and slapped a fine of Rs 10 lakh on Mukteshwar Prasad, a retired assistant engineer in the public works department.

The court also ordered the former engineer to serve an additional one year in prison in case of his failure to pay the penalty imposed on him. Prasad was immediately taken into custody after the quantum of punishment was announced in the court.

Prasad, a resident of Bhagalpur, is accused of accumulating unaccounted assets worth Rs 35.15 lakh disproportionate to his known sources of income.

The disproportionate assets came to the fore during search of his houses in Patna and Bhagalpur on June 18, 1994.

During the search, documents pertaining to lands and five buildings in Patna and Bhagalpur were seized.

Prasad owned three houses constructed on three cotthas each at Yarpur in Patna, Adampur (native village) and Bhagalpur.

Prasad was appointed junior engineer in 1960 and retired in 1997. The check period for assessment of his unaccounted wealth was fixed from 1960 to 1994.

During the period, Prasad had purchased several plots, constructed houses and made huge investments in insurance companies.

Additional public prosecutor Rajesh Kumar said Bihar became the first state to enforce the Act in mid-2010.