Chandigarh, May 21 -- The CBI court of special judge Alka Malik on Tuesday discharged two persons, including Himachal industries department's former joint director Tilak Raj Sharma, in connection with a Rs.10-lakh corruption case that was registered in 2017. The prosecution agency's case fell flat in the absence of prosecution sanction by the Himachal Pradesh government.

Tilak Raj Sharma and Baddi businessman Ashok Rana were arrested in 2017. The CBI had alleged that the duo had demanded Rs.10 lakh for processing and recommending a grant for approval of Rs.50 lakh as subsidy to a Baddi company - Medicef Pharma.

The CBI had even filed a supplementary chargesheet in October 2023 and had informed the court that the state had twice declined...