Prayagraj, Jul 7 The Allahabad High Court has upheld the 1985 conviction of a former lekhpal, who was caught red-handed accepting a bribe of Rs 300 nearly five decades ago.
Dismissing a 41-year-old criminal appeal, the high court upheld the one-year rigorous imprisonment sentence awarded to former lekhpal (land record official) Mahesh Chand and directed him to surrender before the trial court within four weeks to serve the remainder of his sentence.
Upholding the conviction in the corruption case dating back to 1977, Justice Sanjiv Kumar in his verdict dated July 3 said that the prosecution successfully proved beyond reasonable doubt that the accused accepted illegal gratification during consolidation proceedings.
The case arose from consolidation proceedings involving agricultural land in Kanpur district. According to the prosecution, one Virendra Singh was contesting an appeal filed by Asha Devi regarding the allotment of agricultural plots.
It was alleged that Mahesh Chand, then serving as a lekhpal, along with kanoongo Chandra Sen demanded Rs 400 as illegal gratification to ensure that Virendra Singh's land allotment remained undisturbed.
The prosecution claimed that Virendra Singh initially paid Rs 100 to Chandra Sen and later asked his son Jai Vijay Singh for the remaining Rs 300. Instead of arranging the money, Jai Vijay Singh approached the Vigilance Department that organized a trap.
During the operation, Chand was allegedly caught accepting Rs 300 marked with phenolphthalein powder at a hotel near the court premises.
The marked currency notes were recovered from his possession and the chemical test reportedly confirmed contact with the treated notes.
Justice Kumar examined the evidence recorded during the trial and found no material inconsistency affecting the prosecution case.
The court noted that the testimonies of the vigilance officers, the public witness, and Jai Vijay Singh remained consistent regarding the demand and acceptance of illegal gratification.
"Such kind of trap is laid in secrecy and the information is kept secret between the members of raiding party and the place is arranged in such a manner that the accused would not have any apprehension of his being caught red handed," the court observed.
After reviewing the evidence, it concluded that the prosecution had successfully established that Mahesh Chand demanded and accepted Rs 300 as illegal gratification while serving as a Lekhpal.
It held that the trial court had correctly appreciated the evidence and rightly convicted him.
