Chandigarh: Bail allowed to accused drug control officer in graft case
In September 2023, the drug control officer Sunil Chaudhary and the middleman Ashok Narula, a resident of Sector 63, were booked by the police under Sections 7, 8 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act
A local court had allowed bail on Tuesday to drug control officer Sunil Chaudhary who was arrested in a ₹25,000 graft case.
In September 2023, the drug control officer Sunil Chaudhary and the middleman Ashok Narula, a resident of Sector 63, were booked by the police under Sections 7, 8 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
While the detailed order is awaited, the court of additional sessions judge had allowed the regular plea filed by Chaudhary.
On Monday, the prosecution had opposed it stating that there is sufficient evidence against Chaudhary that he has demanded illegal gratification from the complainant, who specifically mentioned his name. On this basis, an FIR was registered against Narula and Chaudhary.
Both Chaudhary and Narula were booked on the complaint of chemist Dev Sharan Saha, who alleged that Chaudhary and Narula visited his shop for inspection before processing his drugs licence file. Chaudhary claimed that there were shortcomings in his shop and that it would be sealed, after which the former took Saha’s signature on paper.
Narula then offered to get his file approved in exchange for ₹1 lakh and assured that the shop would not be sealed, the complaint mentions. At last, the amount was settled at ₹80,000. The chemist approached the vigilance department. They laid a trap and caught Narula red-handed while accepting ₹25,000 bribe as the first instalment on September 27, 2023. However, Chaudhary managed to escape.
He surrendered before the court of the additional chief judicial magistrate on February 1 following the Supreme Court’s direction and had been in custody since then.
