An MCD junior engineer has been jailed for four years for possessing disproportionate assets, with the court also convicting his wife for abetting the crime and ordering confiscation of their ill-gotten property.

Special Judge Pradeep Chaddah jailed MCD Junior Engineer (West) Sheel Chand Goel for four years and his wife Sadhna for two years lamenting that "the menace of corruption has touched all time high."

"Convict Goel, who was employed with MCD misused his office, amassed wealth and committed criminal misconduct," the court said, imposing a fine of Rs 1 lakh on him and adding, "Because of people like him the entire city has been defaced. Not a brick can be laid without active blessings of MCD."

Goel was caught accepting bribe in 2006. A subsequent search of his residence revealed he had amassed wealth worth Rs 18.73 lakh between 1984 and 2003, grossly disproportionate to his known sources of income.

The CBI, in its charge sheet, said Goel's financial status changed after he joined MCD and he acquired properties in the name of his wife Sadhna, who despite being housewife with no source of income, began filing wealth tax and income tax returns in her name and in names of her children from 1988 to 1995 only to legitimise her husband's ill-gotten wealth.

On CBI prosecutor Praneet Sharma's prayer that property acquired by them illegally be confiscated, the court directed the agency to confiscate their property in North West Delhi as "otherwise convict would be at liberty to enjoy fruits of his illegal activities after carrying out his sentence."