‘Punish public servants seeking bribes’

The Bombay High Court recently voiced its concern over the rise in incidents of government servants accepting or demanding bribe. The HC observed public servants seeking bribe, must be dealt with “stern” action and punished, if found guilty.

The observations were made by Justice Bharati Dangre while deciding a criminal appeal of Dattatray Bagdi, a Talathi. He was accused of demanding Rs 2,000 from one Sudhir Patil for registering his name in the 7/12 extract register in respect of an agriculture land in Mouje Dundage village, Kolhapur.

Patil had bought a land and made an application in the Talathi office for recording his name along with necessary documents. Patil alleged that since he refused to pay Rs 2000 bribe, he was offered Rs 100 discount. Furious with this brazen demand for a bribe, Patil filed a complaint with the Anti Corruption Bureau, Kolhapur unit, which arrested Bagdi under charges of the Prevention of Corruption Act. A special court convicted Bagdi and sentenced him to five years rigorous punishment.

Bagdi moved Justice Dangre’s court challenging the ruling against him. Justice Dangre scrutinised all material on record and found that the special court had rightly convicted Bagdi and upheld his punishment of five years.

Justice Dangre said, “The act of Bagdi (appellant) clearly amounts to corruption which is an evil which paralyses the economical growth of the country and causes impediment in its progress. The need of the day is to strengthen the fight against corruption so that the progress of the nation is accelerated.”