HAL official, aide get 4-year jail term for offering bribe

A senior official of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bengaluru and another person were today convicted and sentenced to four years' rigorous imprisonment by a special court here for allegedly offering a bribe to a CBI officer in 2004.
XIII Additional Special Judge for CBI cases convicted HAL Director (Finance) Avatar Krishan Zutshi and his accomplice N P Manikandan, General Manager of PCS Industries Ltd, Bengaluru, for offering the bribe for a favourable report in a disproprtionate assets case and awarded four-year jail term, a CBI release said here.
The Anti-Corruption Branch of CBI here had registered a case in 2004 on a complaint by Junior Technical Officer of the investigating agency C Gowri Shankar that he was offered bribe by Manikandan on behalf of Zutshi.

A trap was laid by ACB, and Zutshi and his son Naveen Zutshi discussed with Shankar about the report to be given by him. Later, Zutshi's 'mediator' Manikandan was apprehended while handing over Rs 50,000 to Shankar.
Later, a charge sheet was filed before the Special Judge Court which today gave the verdict.
The Judge also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 each on the HAL official and his mediator.
The court acquitted third accused Naveen Zutshi.