JUSTICE SERVED
Man acquitted 17 years after arrest for taking ₹800 as bribe
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Madurai:15.10.2018
Seventeen years after a government official was booked for allegedly receiving ₹800 as bribe, the Madurai bench of the Madras high court has set aside his conviction by a trial court and acquitted the person.
Dharmaraj, who was working as an assistant at the sub-registrar’s office in Radhapuram, Tirunelveli district was arrested in 2001 by the vigilance and anti-corruption police for taking money to hand over registration documents. Police laid a trap and secured Dharmaraj after he took the chemicallaced currency notes from those who filed the complaint against him.
A trial court pronounced Dharmaraj guilty in 2009 and sentenced him to undergo one year rigorous imprisonment. Dharmaraj moved the high court against the trial court’s order.
When the petition came up for hearing, Dharmaraj’s counsel submitted that the lower court failed to appreciate the evidence in proper perspective. Counsel stated that a representative of VV Minerals, a mining company, had sought to register a document of a property and Dharmaraj informed the prospective buyer that there is objection by the property owner and he will not register it.
To take revenge on the government official, people were set up to trap him, counsel stated.
Counsel also pointed out that the said property was purchased through another person, Amaladasan, and the very next day sold to the representative of the mining company.
Subsequently, the entire trap drama was enacted by a powerful lobby, counsel stated. The government pleader argued that the trial court has rightly convicted the official and the motive attributed to VV Minerals is unfounded.
After perusing the submissions made from both sides, justice G Jayachandran noted that Amaladasan purchasing the property from the owner and in turn transferring the same in favour of representatives of VV Minerals, the very next day also lend credence to the defence version and clearly dislodges the presumption cast upon the accused official.
“That apart, the prosecution could not establish that ₹800 was received by the appellant/accused as motive or reward to do any favour or disfavour to the complainant,” the court said and acquitted the official of all charges.
Man acquitted 17 years after arrest for taking ₹800 as bribe
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Madurai:15.10.2018
Seventeen years after a government official was booked for allegedly receiving ₹800 as bribe, the Madurai bench of the Madras high court has set aside his conviction by a trial court and acquitted the person.
Dharmaraj, who was working as an assistant at the sub-registrar’s office in Radhapuram, Tirunelveli district was arrested in 2001 by the vigilance and anti-corruption police for taking money to hand over registration documents. Police laid a trap and secured Dharmaraj after he took the chemicallaced currency notes from those who filed the complaint against him.
A trial court pronounced Dharmaraj guilty in 2009 and sentenced him to undergo one year rigorous imprisonment. Dharmaraj moved the high court against the trial court’s order.
When the petition came up for hearing, Dharmaraj’s counsel submitted that the lower court failed to appreciate the evidence in proper perspective. Counsel stated that a representative of VV Minerals, a mining company, had sought to register a document of a property and Dharmaraj informed the prospective buyer that there is objection by the property owner and he will not register it.
To take revenge on the government official, people were set up to trap him, counsel stated.
Counsel also pointed out that the said property was purchased through another person, Amaladasan, and the very next day sold to the representative of the mining company.
Subsequently, the entire trap drama was enacted by a powerful lobby, counsel stated. The government pleader argued that the trial court has rightly convicted the official and the motive attributed to VV Minerals is unfounded.
After perusing the submissions made from both sides, justice G Jayachandran noted that Amaladasan purchasing the property from the owner and in turn transferring the same in favour of representatives of VV Minerals, the very next day also lend credence to the defence version and clearly dislodges the presumption cast upon the accused official.
“That apart, the prosecution could not establish that ₹800 was received by the appellant/accused as motive or reward to do any favour or disfavour to the complainant,” the court said and acquitted the official of all charges.
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