Chandigarh: Sub-inspector caught for graft awarded 4-year jail
The cop was arrested in 2015 for accepting ₹15,000 as bribe from a Kaimbwala resident for not registering a case against him
Observing that corruption is like cancer and it was disturbing that many see it as normal and not immoral, a special CBI court has sentenced a Chandigarh Police sub-inspector (SI) to four years in jail for accepting ₹15,000 as bribe in 2015.
The court convicted the SI, Sewak Singh, under Sections 7 and 13 (1) (d) read with 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. It also imposed a fine of ₹40,000 upon him.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had arrested the SI from near a hotel in Sector 17 while accepting the bribe from a resident of Kaimbwala.
He was arrested on the complaint of Hem Raj, who had alleged that SI Sewak Singh, then posted at the Sector 3 police station, was demanding ₹20,000 from him for not registering a case against him. The deal was struck for ₹15,000 and the SI asked the complainant to reach Sector 17 with the money.
During trial, the public prosecutor for CBI, Narender Singh, argued that the convict, being in the police service, was supposed to be the custodian of criminal justice system, but he had rather played with the system and instead of protecting the law was breaching it.
He sought exemplary punishment, which would deter other persons, to indulge in such like offences, whereas the SI pleaded for leniency.
In its order, the CBI court observed that the convict was serving in the police, which was considered a respectable force, and was also meant to be the custodian of the criminal justice system.
The order read, “People have faith in this system and believe that the persons in the police force will protect them and do no wrong. On the other hand, the convict tried to find loopholes in the system to help the complainant.”
It added, “Corruption in a civilised society is a disease like cancer, which, if not detected in time, is sure to malignance the polity of our country leading to disastrous consequences. Corruption has been eating into the vitals of Indian democracy for decades now. It has only progressively got worse in recent years. Many see it as normal and not immoral. That is disturbing.”
The court said corruption among public servants had always existed in one form or the other, although its shape, dimensions, textures and shades had been changing from time to time and place to place. “At one time, bribe was paid for getting wrong things done, but now bribe is paid for getting right things done at the right time,” it observed.
“As a result, the convict does not deserve any leniency, rather deserves a punishment that will act as a deterrent to other persons in society, so that they would think twice before committing such an offence,” the court decided.
