Two decades after being accused of taking a ₹500 bribe, a junior assistant in the tax section of the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (now GHMC) has been acquitted by the Telangana High Court.
The accused was arrested in April 2005 after a complaint to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) alleged he had demanded money to process a property mutation application. The principal special judge for ACB cases in Hyderabad acquitted him in March 2013. The ACB subsequently challenged the verdict in the High Court.
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The Allegations and Trap
In February 2005, the complainant purchased a house in Begumpet and applied for mutation in his name at the Additional Commissioner’s office in Secunderabad. A week later, he alleged, the junior assistant demanded ₹500 to process the request and stalled the application when payment was not made.
On April 7, 2005, the complainant claimed the demand was repeated. Acting on his approach, ACB officials laid a trap in which the accused allegedly accepted the bribe and tested positive in the phenolphthalein powder test.
The trial court, after reviewing the evidence, acquitted the accused in March 2013, holding that the prosecution had not proven its case beyond the reasonable doubt.
High Court’s Reasoning
During the High Court appeal, the ACB argued that the demand and acceptance of the bribe were established. The defence countered that no official work for the complainant was pending and alleged that the complaint was lodged with malice.
Justice E.V. Venugopal noted that in cross-examination, the complainant admitted to filing the case with ill intention, motivated by resentment over the accused’s refusal to process the mutation without proper documentation. The court observed that, under such circumstances, any alleged bribe had no legal significance, as no official favour was pending at the time of the trap.
Finding no reason to overturn the trial court’s findings, the High Court upheld the acquittal, closing a 20-year chapter in the accused’s life.