SENTENCE UPHELD BY HC OF BRIBERY CASE ACCUSED

PANJIM: The high court of Bombay at Goa recently upheld the one year imprisonment sentence imposed by a special court on then assistant labour commissioner Chaitanya Audichya, for accepting a 10,000 bribe to issue a license to a contractor in 2003.

On May 30, 2003, CBI had arrested Audichya after laying a trap on a compliant filed by Bhandari Chandrasekhar, proprietor of JCS Associates, Fatorda. Chandrasekhar alleged that Audichya had demanded the bribe to issue a license under the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996.

In February 2010, the special court held Audichya guilty under Sections 7 (public servant taking gratification) and 13 (1) (d) (criminal misconduct) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. He was also directed to pay a fine of 10,000 under each section. Audichya had appealed in the high court against the judgment.

Audichya pleaded that Chandrasekhar came to his house and requested him to clear applications filed by him in his office. Subsequently, he thrust money in Audichya's shirt pocket before CBI arrested him on corruption charges.

Dismissing the appeal, the high court observed that "the case of the accused that he had not demanded or accepted any money from complainant or that he distracted his attention and thrust the money in his pocket is falsified by consistent, convincing and reliable evidence. Prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused demanded and accepted a sum of 10,000 as a first installment to clear the applications filed by him to obtain permission," the court stated. (TNN)