Court exhorts public servants to be honest in daily affairs

"The social fabric is destroyed by corrupt practices in the public service. Efficiency in public service would improve only when public servants exhibit honesty in their day-to-day affairs," Special Judge B R Kedia said while sentencing Harish Chand Bachani, a 56-year-old suspended survey officer in JJ and Slum department of the MCD, to two years imprisonment.

Bachani was also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000.

The judge also said "not only that such corruption causes loss of faith in public administration, it also demoralises the bunch of honest officers in the concerned institution."

Bachani was found guilty of demanding a bribe of Rs 5,000 from complainant Chattar Singh Rachhoya for forwarding a file for land allotment by the JJ department for his school in year 2006.

His sentence was, however, suspended till July 16 on furnishing a personal bond of Rs 20,000 and a surety of like amount.