STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Wednesday arrested an employee for demanding and accepting a bribe for preventing the filing of an appeal against an order for acquittal in a Kathua court, an official said.
“Anti Corruption Bureau received a complaint alleging therein that public servant namely Sgct Sudesh Kumar, PID No. EXJ-055648, posted as Naib Courty in the court of Ld. Munsiff, Mahanpur demanded illegal gratification for preventing to file an appeal against the order of acquittal in the case pending adjudication before the Ld. Munsiff Court Mahanpur,” official said.
“The accused had demanded a bribe of Rs 10,000 from the complainant for preventing to file an appeal against the order of acquittal. After negotiation, the accused has agreed to take bribe amount of Rs 8,000 from the complainant. Since, the complainant didn’t want to pay bribe and he approached Anti-Corruption Bureau for taking legal action against the accused public servant under law,” official added.
On receipt of the complaint, a discreet verification was conducted, which confirms the demand of bribe by the public servant concerned and accordingly, a case FIR No. 10/2025 Under Section 7 of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 was registered in Police Station ACB Jammu and investigation taken up.
During the course of investigation, official said, a trap team headed by Gazetted rank officer was constituted. The team laid a successful trap and accused public servant was caught red-handed while demanding and accepting bribe amount of Rs 8,000 from the complainant in the presence of independent witnesses.
The accused was arrested on the spot by the ACB team after following due process of law. The bribe money was also recovered from his possession in presence of independent witnesses associated with the trap team. Moreover, search is being conducted in the residential house of the accused situated in presence of independent witness and Magistrate, official said adding that further investigation of the instant case is going on.
