Govt official in Kashmir gets 2 yrs jail for taking bribe

An anti-corruption court insouth Kashmir's Pulwama district today awarded a two-year jail term to a government officialfor taking bribe in 2009.
Additional judge Virinder Singh Bhou also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on Mohammad Mansoor Malik, the then Supervisor and Incharge Tehsil Officer in Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) Circle, Zainapora in nearby Shopian district.
A State Vigilance Organisation official said that a case under J-K Prevention of Corruption Act and Ranbir Penal Code was registered against Malik on a complaint lodgedby Sabzar Ahamd Dar, a resident of Reshipora area of thedistrict.
Dar alleged he was running a fair price shop of CAPD Department at Reshipora since 2007 and Malik haddemanded and accepted a bribe of Rs 10,000 from him for issuing a report in respect of various applications that had been endorsed to him and the Assistant Director of CAPD department concerned.

The investigating officer had prima-facie made out acase of criminal misconduct against the accused on the basisof oral, documentary as well as circumstantial evidence.
The official said on completion of the investigation,a charge sheet was produced against the accused before the court of special judge Anti-Corruption Kashmir by the organisation on April 20, 2010.

The court of additional judge found Malik guilty and convicted him to undergo simple two years imprisonment for thecommission of offence under J-K Prevention of Corruption Act and fine of Rs 20000.
The accused was also ordered to undergo further imprisonment of six months in default of payment of the fine.

Further, Malik has also been convicted withsimple imprisonment of one year and fine of Rs 5000 forcommission of offences under section 161 RPC, the officialsaid, adding however, that the convictions shall runconcurrently.
The court has also ordered that in case the fine ispaid by and recovered from the convicted accused, Rs 10,000out of that shall be paid to the complainant.
The accused has been taken into custody and sent to Central Jail here, officials said.