Four MCD officials get 3 years jail in bribery case

NEW DELHI: Four MCD officials have been sentenced to three years in jail in a bribery case by a Delhi court which took a lenient view towards them considering their family circumstances.

Special Judge Narottam Kaushal handed over the jail term to four officials of the Slum and JJ Department of Municipal Corporation of Delhi --Suresh Kumar(50), Dilbagh Singh(52), Umed Singh(50) and Hemant Kumar-- for demanding a bribe of Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 from complainant Devender in 2008.

"I hold that prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubt that all accused persons visited the house of Devender on October 8,2008 and threatened to file an adverse report in the suit instituted by his uncle.

"...a demand of Rs 10,000-20,000 was made, as gratification other than legal remuneration, as motive or reward for showing favour or disfavour in discharge of official functions, in furtherance of criminal conspiracy of all the accused persons," the judge said.

It also noted that on November 6, 2008, Suresh and Dilbagh obtained Rs 4,000 from Devender, as pecuniary advantage without any public interest, in furtherance of criminal conspiracy with the other two officials.

"All the accused persons are accordingly convicted," the court said.

The court convicted all the four persons under sections 7 (public servant taking gratification other than legal remuneration), 13[1(d)](obtaining any valuable thing/pecuniary advantage being a public servant, without any public interest) of Prevention of Corruption Act and section 120B (criminal conspiracy)of the IPC.

According to prosecution, on October 8, 2008, the four officials had visited Devender's house and showed him a copy of a petition allegedly filed by his uncle Sadaram, regarding illegal construction by his father in which MCD, DDA, Slum and JJ Department of the MCD were made parties.

It further said the four officials threatened Devender and his family members of adverse report and asked him to meet them. When he met them after several failed attempts, he was asked to arrange the money by November 3, 2008.

Devender then lodged a complaint against the officials with the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) and recorded the demand of bribe for confirmation of allegations, it said.

The prosecution said that with the help of a sub inspector, the demand of Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 by the officials was recorded and a raid was also conducted at the office of the officials, who were caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 4,000 from Devender.

During the trial, all the four officials claimed innocence and sought leniency from the court on the ground that they were already suspended from service and had no other source of income to take care of their respective families.