CHB official denied bail in bribery case

Chandigarh, June 7

Observing that if released on bail the accused is most likely to pressure the witnesses and hamper the investigation, Jagjit Singh, Special Judge, CBI court, dismissed the bail application of Shamsher Singh, senior assistant, Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB).

Shamsher was arrested by the CBI on May 18 while allegedly accepting a bribe for issuing an NOC.

The CBI had registered an FIR on a complaint of Sukhjit Singh, who stated that he needed the NOC for his house in Modern Housing Complex, Mani Majra. He stated that his file was marked to Shamsher, who was the dealing assistant.

As per procedure, conditional transfer letter was to be issued within five working days, but despite visiting repeatedly, Shamsher did not work on his file and in the last week of April, demanded a bribe of Rs 10,000. The complainant stated that he was told that in case the bribe was not paid, objections would be raised again and again.

Acting on the complaint, the CBI apprehended Shamsher Singh red-handed while allegedly demanding and accepting Rs 10,000 as bribe.

The suspect’s counsel alleged that Shamsher was implicated in the case and be released on bail. However, the public prosecutor, Narender Singh, argued that the suspect was arrested for a serious offence and the act was videographed. The bribe money was recovered from his table drawer in the presence of independent witnesses.

After hearing the arguments, the court dismissed the bail application. The court observed that if the accused was released on bail, he was most likely to pressure the witnesses and hamper the investigation in the case, which would affect the subsequent trial.