Two Maharashtra government officials have been convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for accepting a bribe to approve a business proposal, highlighting the ongoing efforts to combat corruption in India.
A senior Maharashtra government official and a junior clerk were convicted by a special court in Latur on Wednesday, which handed them simple imprisonments ranging from two to two-and-a-half years for accepting a bribe of Rs 5,000 for approving a business proposal in 2014.
Additional District and Sessions Judge RR Bhosale also imposed fines of Rs 15,000 and Rs 7,500 on Balaji Kale, then Assistant Registrar of Cooperative Societies (Dairy) and junior clerk Suresh Mali, respectively, under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
A case was registered at Shivajinagar police station in Latur under sections 7, 12, and 13(1)(d) read with 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
According to the prosecution, the accused had demanded a bribe of Rs 5,000 from the complainant to approve a proposal related to a fisheries business. The bribe amount was accepted by Mali on the instructions of Kale.
The court sentenced Kale to simple imprisonment of two-and-a-half years under Section 7 of the Act. Additionally, he was handed three years of imprisonment and fined Rs 10,000 under Section 13(2). Mali was sentenced to two years of simple imprisonment and fined Rs 7,500 under Section 12 of the Act.
A detailed order is not available yet.