ACB traps fisheries official taking bribe

MUMBAI, August 1: An officer in the Department of Fisheries, Mantralaya, was caught red-handed accepting a bribe of Rs 1000 by the Anti-Cor...

MUMBAI, August 1: An officer in the Department of Fisheries, Mantralaya, was caught red-handed accepting a bribe of Rs 1000 by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). Pramod Prabhakar Vedak, a desk officer, was found receiving the bribe from B D Pawar, a suspended district fisheries development officer from Aurangabad regarding his reinstatement.

Pawar was suspended from service following some allegations levelled against him in 1992. He filed a petition before the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal (MAT), Aurangabad. Thereafter, the tribunal ordered an enquiry into the Pawar’s suspension.

The inquiry report, which was submitted in March 1995, recommended that Pawar be reinstated. However, the report ordered that Pawar’s two increments be withheld for a period of two years.

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Pawar again approached MAT with a petition for contempt of its previous order. The Fisheries Department then assured Pawar that he would be reinstated provided he withdrew the contempt petition. He withdrew his petition on August 22, 1995.

Thereafter, Pawar began making enquiries with Vedak who kept the matter suspended with assurances for nearly two years. Frustrated Pawar filed a contempt petition again with MAT on May 12, 1997.

The tribunal directed the state government to produce the departmental inquiry record before July 25, 1997. However, this was not done.

Pawar rushed to Vedak again to request that he place the case file before the secretary. Vedak demanded a bribe of Rs 5000 but later reduced it to Rs 1000. Pawar then approached the ACB trapped Vedak accepting the bribe.

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