HC upholds MCD official's 1-year jail term for demanding Rs 50

The Delhi High Court has upheld one-year jail-term of an MCD official for demanding a bribe of Rs 50 from another employee of the civic body to open a Group Provident Fund (GPF) account more than two decades ago.
Dismissing the appeal of Nanak Chand, who was working as a clerk in West Zone MCD office in Rajouri Garden in 1990, Justice P K Bhasin said "from the evidence of three material witnesses, it stands established beyond any doubt that the accused had demanded Rs 50 initially from the complainant (a sweeper) and then agreed to settle the deal for Rs 40. At the time of raid also, he had demanded money from the complainant and obtained Rs 40 from him."

Rejecting Chand's arguments that he should be acquitted as he was not the concerned official to open the GPF account, the judge said "here the complainant approached the accused appellant with a request to help in opening of Provident Fund account and then the accused appellant(Chand) had not told him that it was not his job and instead he demanded money from him.