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The Jharkhand High Court has upheld the conviction of a 75-year-old former railway parcel clerk in a bribery case dating back to 1995. While Justice Pradeep Srivastava maintained the conviction, the court reduced the defendant’s prison sentence to the minimum prescribed punishment, citing the length of the legal proceedings, the defendant’s advanced age, and his health conditions.
Kali Shankar Dhobi, who was employed at Hatia Railway Station at the time of the incident, was accused of demanding a 100 rupee bribe to facilitate the parcel booking of a motorcycle to Samastipur, Bihar. The official railway fee for the service was 203 rupees. Following a complaint, the Central Bureau of Investigation conducted a trap operation and alleged that Dhobi was caught accepting the bribe on April 27, 1995.
A trial court convicted Dhobi in 2004, sentencing him to one year of rigorous imprisonment under Section 7 and one-and-a-half years under Section 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Dhobi subsequently appealed the decision to the Jharkhand High Court, where the case remained pending for over two decades.
In the September 9 ruling, the High Court reduced the sentence to six months of simple imprisonment for the offense under Section 7 and one year of simple imprisonment for the offense under Section 13(1)(d). The court ordered that the sentences run concurrently and maintained the original fine, which has already been paid. The court noted that Dhobi had been dismissed from his service following the initial conviction.
The High Court has cancelled Dhobi’s bail and directed him to surrender within two months. The court stated that the reduction in sentencing was appropriate given that the incident occurred 31 years ago, the trial took nine years to conclude, and the appellant is now 75 years old and suffering from age-related illnesses.
Article source: www.newindianexpress.com | Image credit: www.newindianexpress.com
