Kannur (Kerala), Jan 29 (PTI) A Vigilance Court here has sentenced a former Village Officer and a Village Assistant to rigorous imprisonment for accepting a bribe.
Thalassery Vigilance Court Judge K Ramakrishnan
on Wednesday sentenced KV Shaju, former Kannur-II Village Officer and currently Deputy Tahsildar at the Kannur Taluk Office, and CV Pradeep, former Village Assistant of the Kannur-II Village Office, to five years of rigorous imprisonment each and imposed a fine of Rs 90,000 each under various sections of Prevention of Corruption Act.
The court ordered that the sentences would run concurrently.
The case relates to a complaint filed by a native of Pallikkunnu in Kannur.
After a court verdict, a portion of a family property was allotted to the complainant, following which he submitted an application at the Kannur-II Village Office to remit land tax for the property.
The then Village Officer, Shaju, allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 10,000 for accepting the tax.
During the land measurement process, he accepted Rs 9,000 as the first instalment.
When Shaju later attempted to collect the remaining Rs 1,000 from the complainant, Kannur Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) officials caught him red-handed and registered a case.
During the investigation, the VACB found that Pradeep, who was then a Village Assistant at the Kannur-II Village Office, was also involved in the bribery transaction.
After completing the investigation and filing the charge sheet, the court found both the accused guilty.
Public Prosecutors Usha Kumari and Jithin P appeared for the VACB. PTI TBA TBA KH
