Jammu, 24 March (H.S.): The court of Special Judge Anti-Corruption, Srinagar, presided over by Special Judge Tasleem Arief, has convicted former Tehsildar Chadoora Mohd Akram Khan in a bribery trap case dating back to 2010 and sentenced him to one year’s simple imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 20,000.

The judgment was delivered in a case arising out of FIR No. 20/2010 registered by the then Vigilance Organization Kashmir, now Anti-Corruption Bureau.

According to the prosecution case, the complainant had approached the Vigilance Organization alleging that the then Tehsildar Chadoora had demanded Rs 20,000 for deciding a land dispute in his favour and for not causing further harassment. Acting on the complaint, the investigating agency laid a trap and allegedly recovered the tainted bribe money from beneath a pillow in the accused’s room at Jawahar Nagar, Srinagar.

The prosecution also relied upon hand-wash and pillow-wash proceedings conducted during the trap.

After examining the complainant, trap witnesses, independent witnesses, investigating officers and scientific evidence, Special Judge Tasleem Arief held that the prosecution had succeeded in proving that the accused had accepted illegal gratification in the discharge of his official functions. The court found the former Tehsildar guilty in the corruption case and proceeded to hear him on the question of sentence.

While awarding sentence, the court took note of the seriousness of corruption by a public servant, especially one occupying a responsible revenue post. At the same time, the court also considered mitigating factors including the convict’s advanced age, his retirement from service, and the fact that he had faced the ordeal of criminal trial for nearly 15 years.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar