Tuesday, July 19 2005 16:43 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: A special vigilance court today (July 19, 2005) extended the judicial remand of suspended former Patna district magistrate Gautam Goswami and eight others till August 1 in the flood relief scam case.

Designated vigilance judge Jitendra Mohan Sharma extended the remand of the accused after Beur jail authorities produced them before him. Goswami, however, could not be produced, as he was indisposed.

Goswami, a recipient of the prestigious 'Young Asian Hero' award of Time magazine for his exemplary work during last year's flood, had surrendered before the court on June 30 after dodging the police for a month.

The 1992 batch IAS officer has been charged with fraud, forgery and cheating in the distribution of relief material as the nodal officer for conducting relief operations.