The special CBI court for Haryana in Panchkula Wednesday convicted three officials of the customs and central excise department in a bribery case in which they were found guilty.
They have been identified as Anil Kumar and Ajay Kumar, the then superintendents, and Ravinder Singh Dahiya, an inspector, all of whom were posted in the audit department of the customs and central excise wing in Sonipat.
The three had demanded a bribe of Rs 10 lakh to settle a dispute involving Deepak Jain, owner of Precision Component Pvt Ltd in Rai industrial area of Sonipat, in Feb 2017. They finally settled for Rs 9 lakh to be paid in two instalments, and Anil even demanded an expensive mobile handset. Deepak faced a penalty of about Rs 30 lakh for tax evasion due to double billing.
Deepak approached CBI, and a trap was laid. The money was recovered from the car of the accused, and accordingly, the court started the process of trial. In July 2017, the CBI filed a charge-sheet against them.
During the trial, the complainant turned hostile and gave a statement in favour of the accused. However, the court relied upon the documentary and circumstantial evidence.
Senior CBI prosecutor Harsh Mohan Singh said, “The court appreciated the evidence on record and the arguments made by the prosecution in the case. Now, the court shall announce the quantum of their sentence on Feb 3.”
The verdict was pronounced by special CBI judge Rajiv Goyal.
Source #TOI
