Former senior auditor of defence accounts awarded 5-year RI in ₹20,000 bribe case
The court has also imposed a fine of ₹50,000 on Vitesh Kumar, the then senior auditor of principal controller of defence accounts, Western Command, who has been convicted under the Prevention of Corruption of Act
Observing that corruption by public servants had reached a monstrous dimension, a special CBI court has awarded five-year rigorous imprisonment to a former senior officer of the principal controller of defence accounts (PCDA), Western Command, in a 2015 graft case.
The court has also imposed a fine of ₹50,000 on Vitesh Kumar, the then senior auditor of PCDA, who has been convicted under the Prevention of Corruption of Act.
As per the CBI, on May 25, 2015, Vitesh demanded a bribe of ₹20,000 from complainant Jagdeep Dogra’s brother-in-law Ajay Sharma for issuing the annual settlement certificate for his Pathankot-based firm M/s Ambay Enterprises.
Ajay ran a business of stationery items, coolers, fridges, etc., which he used to supply to the army unit in Pathankot. A trap was laid on his complaint and Vitesh was caught red-handed by CBI.
In court, while Vitesh sought leniency, CBI public prosecutor Narender Kumar argued that the punishment should be stringent so that it acted as a deterrent to other public servants not to indulge in such offences.
Citing Supreme Court’s judgments, the court said the convict was fully aware of his acts and actions. “He made efforts to somehow take bribes from the complainant despite the knowledge that he could face consequences, if caught, and even tried to rope in other accused, who did not seem to have any knowledge about all this. Without caring for the consequences of his actions, the convict continued with his demand and acceptance of the bribe,” it added.
The court observed, “Corruption by public servants has now reached a monstrous dimension in India. Its tentacles have started grappling even the institutions created for the protection of the republic. Unless those tentacles are intercepted and impeded from gripping the normal and orderly functioning of the public offices, through strong legislative, executive as well as judicial exercises, the corrupt public servants could even paralyse the functioning of such institutions and thereby hinder the democratic polity.”
It said proliferation of corrupt public servants could garner momentum to cripple the social order if such men were allowed to continue to manage and operate public institutions. “The convict, rather, deserves a punishment which would act as a deterrent to the other persons in society, so that they would think twice before committing such an offence,” the court added.
