Former Patwari convicted in 2007 bribery case, gets one-year jail

Srinagar, Apr 13: A Special Anti-Corruption Court in Srinagar on Monday convicted former Patwari in a 2007 bribery case, sentencing him to one year of imprisonment and imposing a fine of Rs 10,000 for accepting a Rs 3,000 bribe to process a land mutation.

In a statement issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), a spokesperson said the special Judge, Anti-Corruption Court Srinagar, Tasleem Arif, today pronounced the judgment in case FIR No. 20/2007 of P/S VOK (now ACB). In the said case, the accused, Ghulam Qadir Bhat (then Patwari Halqa Khushipora Zainkot), son of Mohammad Ismail Bhat, resident of Narparistan Fateh Kadal, Srinagar, has been sentenced to one year of imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 10,000.

He said, the case, FIR No. 20/2007 under Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2006 read with Section 161 RPC, was registered on 01-04-2007 at Police Station VOK (now ACB), Srinagar, on allegations that the said public servant had demanded and accepted a bribe of Rs 3,000 for implementing a mutation in favour of the complainant.

The spokesperson said, during the course of the investigation conducted by Police Station VOK (now ACB), Srinagar, the charges against the accused public servant, namely Ghulam Qadir Bhat, were proved beyond doubt through oral and documentary evidence on record. 

“The charge sheet was presented by PS VOK on 29-02-2008 before the Hon’ble Anti-Corruption Court, Srinagar, for judicial determination.”

“The accused has been sentenced under Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act to one year of imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 10,000. On behalf of ACB Srinagar, the case was argued by Senior Prosecuting Officer Wajahat Jameel,” he said.