Mumbai: Special court sentences two for offering bribe to public servant

Special Judge AS Sayyad sentenced the two men to three years in prison, stating that offering a huge amount of bribe causes “serious trauma” to public officers who honestly discharge their duty.

According to submissions made before the Court by special public prosecutor Sandeep Singh, a written complaint was filed with the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Bureau in 2018. The complainant was an assistant commissioner in the customs department, whose job was to check for and verify smuggled goods coming from abroad and other states and take action.

In April 2018, he received a tip-off that smuggled goods including mobile accessories worth crores were being brought in a tempo to Mumbai. He intercepted the tempo and found that the driver did not have bills for the goods. The tempo was seized and taken to the customs office.

Subsequently, some bills were furnished. Of the 183 cartons, five continued to be seized. It was alleged that Ajmera approached the complainant offering him a bribe of Rs 20 lakh to release the remaining goods. The complainant said he was being pressurised and approached the ACB. A trap was then laid and the two were arrested. Jagarwal and Ajmera had alleged that they were falsely implicated for not agreeing to pay a bribe demanded by the complainant.

“The accused nos. 1 and 2… committed serious offence by offering and giving huge bribe amount to the complainant who at the relevant time, was a public officer discharging his duty in the interest of the public,” the court said.