Supreme Court Acquits Revenue Officer in Bribery Case Citing Lack of Proof : No Proven Demand, No Conviction
The Supreme Court set aside the conviction of a revenue officer under Sections 7 and 13(1)(d) read with 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, holding that the prosecution failed to prove the demand and acceptance of bribe beyond reasonable doubt, thus negating the presumption under Section 20 of the Act.
Facts Of The Case:
The case involves Partiala Sudhakar, a Revenue Inspector in the Mandal Revenue Office, Gundala Mandal, Nalgonda District, who was convicted under Sections 7 and 13(1)(d) read with Section 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The prosecution alleged that on August 6, 2003, Sudhakar demanded a bribe of Rs. 2,000 from the complainant (PW1) to process his application for drought compensation for damaged trees. When PW1 expressed inability to pay, Sudhakar ...