Ex-GST assistant commissioner gets 5-year jail term for bribery
Ex-GST assistant commissioner gets 5-year jail term for bribery
Mumbai, Nov 27 A court here on Thursday sentenced a former Assistant Commissioner of GST to five years in jail in a bribery case, saying his "act does not deserve any leniency".
The special judge for Anti Corruption Bureau cases, A V Kharkar, held Ashok Nayak guilty of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and also for criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code.
The court also imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh on Nayak.
The case was registered in May 2017 against Nayak, then assistant commissioner, Central Excise, based on a complaint filed by a businessman who runs a bar and restaurant in the city.
As per the complaint, Nayak demanded ₹12 crore from him for settling a matter pending with the Enforcement Directorate . He also asked for 25 to 30 per cent of the bribe to be paid within a day or two to avoid being arrested by the ED, the businessman claimed.
Nayak told him he could settle the matter by using his influence with a "senior bureaucrat" working in the Prime Minister's Office , the complaint said.
The initial demand of ₹12 crore was later reduced to ₹10 crore.
After receiving the complaint, the ACB laid a trap and arrested Nayak while accepting the first installment ₹1.25 crore.
The court held that the evidence established beyond doubt that the accused had demanded illegal gratification for inducing an unknown public servant, and willingly accepted money.
The accused was a public servant and expected to "devote his sincere attention towards his duties and perform it honestly", and his act did not deserve any leniency, the court said.
However, considering the accused's age and his cardiac ailment, the court awarded him a simple imprisonment instead of a rigorous one.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
