Mumbai: A special court has sentenced a 63-year-old man, Shivaji Ghag, to three years of rigorous imprisonment on Tuesday for taking a bribe of Rs 2,500. He was also fined Rs 50,000. The case dates back to 2015 when Ghag, who worked as an agent at the electricity office in Chembur, took money to help someone get a wireman's licence.
Although Ghag was not a government officer, he acted as a middleman and demanded Rs 5,000 from a person, Rs 2,500 before and Rs 2,500 after getting the licence. However, the official fee for the licence was only Rs 200. The person informed the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), which laid a trap. Ghag was caught red-handed on September 29, 2015, according to Times Of India report.
During the trial, Ghag was out on bail. The court found him guilty under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Special Judge S E Bangar said that corruption should be dealt with strictly, but also considered Ghag’s age and health conditions he is suffering from brain cancer, when deciding the punishment, as per report.
The judge also mentioned a Supreme Court ruling that allows private individuals to be punished under the corruption law, even if no government officer is formally charged. This means agents like Ghag can be held responsible for corrupt acts involving public services.
Special public prosecutor Prabhakar Tarange argued for a tough sentence, saying that such agents often help public officials take bribes and this practice is growing. He said a strong punishment would help stop such behaviour in the future.
Ghag has appealed the court’s decision. The judge has allowed the sentence to be delayed until the appeal is heard, but Ghag must pay the Rs 50,000 fine in the meantime.
