Former Chandigarh SP sent to three years of jail in graft case

An IPS officer was sentenced today to a three- year jail term by a CBI court here for taking a bribe of Rs one lakh from an SHO six years ago.

Additional District and Dessions judge Gagangeet Kaur had held Deshraj Singh, former Chandigarh Superintendent of Police (SP), guilty under Sections 7 (public servant taking gratification other than legal remuneration in respect of an official act) and 13 read with 13(1)(d) (criminal misconduct by a public servant) of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act on August 8.

Pronouncing the quantum of sentence today, the court sent Deshraj, a 2008-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, to three years imprisonment and also slapped a fine of Rs one lakh on him.

Posted as SP (City) in Chandigarh with the additional charge of SP (headquarters), Deshraj was detained by the CBI from his Sector-23 residence on October 18, 2012 while allegedly accepting Rs one lakh as bribe from a junior officer for getting him a clean chit in two departmental inquiries.

Later, Deshraj was suspended.

The CBI had laid the trap to nab SP Deshraj following a complaint by Chandigarh Police inspector Anokh Singh, the then SHO of Sector 26.

The SHO had said in his complaint to the CBI that SP Deshraj was a crucial witness in one of the departmental inquiries initiated against him.

The inquiries against Anokh Singh were initiated for alleged disobedience and insubordination as he had failed to inform Deshraj about a theft at an MLA's residence.