Court official sent to 4 years in jail for taking bribe

Special CBI Judge N K Kaushik sentenced Devi Singh, who was a 'reader' in the court of special metropolitan magistrate adjudicating MCD case, after holding him guilty of taking bribe.

"Considering the circumstances, I am of considered opinion that in such matters, the sentence imposed is required to be deterrent one," the court said while also imposing a fine of Rs 50,000 on him.

50-year-old Singh was caught accepting the bribe on June 12, 2009 from Manish Sehgal, who had lodged a complaint with the CBI about the demand for bribe.

Sehgal had been issued a challan by the MCD for keeping some of his sewing machine outside his shop.

The CBI said Sehgal received a notice to attend MCD court on June 8, 2009 at Rohini for settling the case. Accordingly, he went to the magisterial court and showed the MCD notice to Singh, who demanded Rs 10,000 to hush up the case.

He, however agreed to sort out the matter for Rs 4,500 only and called Sehgal on June 12, 2009, said the CBI adding that Sehgal, however, lodged a complaint with the agency, which laid a trap and arrested him while taking the money.

Observing that the bribe money was recovered from Singh, the judge said that the prosecution has established without any pale of doubt that the alleged offence was committed by the accused. PTI PPS RKS

RAX