Ex-agriculture director acquitted in bribery case

Special court of S N Sardesai acquitted former agriculture director Prakash Wamanrao Mahindre,arrested in 2005 for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000 from a businessman.

Special court of S N Sardesai acquitted former agriculture director Prakash Wamanrao Mahindre,arrested in 2005 for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000 from a businessman. The complaint was lodged at Bundgarden police station in May 2005 by one Rajkumar Bhanudas Dhargude.

Mahindre had allegedly demanded the bribe for issuing a licence for Dhargudes Chhatrapati Agro Chemicals Company. Dhargude had to get three new licences and renew four of them. He stated in his complaint that Mahindre had demanded Rs 2 lakh for each licence.

Defence lawyer Sudhir Shah argued that the jute bag containing Rs 50,000 was planted in Mahindres cabin at Central Building. When Dhargude had gone to visit Mahindre,the latter was not in his cabin. When he returned after sometime,Dhargude immediately went out of the cabin with the jute bag, Shah said.

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The Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB),Pune,had arrested Mahindre,for possessing assets disproportionate to his known source of income. He had assets worth Rs 3.02 crore. The ACB,which had conducted a search at his residence at Central Park Apartment on Ambedkar Road,had recovered cash and ornaments totalling Rs 4,97,44,957.

The agency had registered a case of amassing wealth against Mahindre and his wife Priya under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code with the Bundgarden police station on February 20,2006. After conducting a detailed inquiry,it was revealed that the Mahindres had amassed wealth worth Rs 3,02,11,606,Pandhare said.

Mahindre was suspended from the service in 2005. He had retired from service during the suspension period.

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