Graft: 2 EPFO officers get 6-year RI

Tribune News Service

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Chandigarh, May 26

Menace of corruption in the country across every field has reached at an alarming situation. Corruption has been prevailing in society as well as country for the past few decades, but the way things deteriorated in the past few years, with corrupt people brazenly creating a lush life for themselves with the public money, has outraged the citizens.

Observing this, Jagjit Singh, Special Judge, CBI Court, has sentenced Vijay Rawat and Bachittar Singh, two Enforcement Officers of the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Sector 17, to six-year rigorous imprisonment each in a bribery case registered seven years ago by the CBI. The court has also imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on each convict.

The CBI arrested the accused in 2015 while accepting a bribe of Rs 2 lakh from Jasbir Singh, a representative of a Mohali-based company, M/s Homeland Buildwell (P) Limited.

The complainant had said the enforcement officers visited the office of the Mohali-based private firm and served a notice on it, directing it to submit certain records for verification.

As he was authorised by the firm, the officials made a phone call to him and allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 4 lakh for favouring him in checking the records of the firm.

The CBI claimed after negotiations, the accused agreed to take Rs 2 lakh as the first instalment.

The CBI laid a trap in which both enforcement officers were caught taking a bribe of Rs 2 lakh from the complainant on November 30, 2015.

During arguments on the quantum of sentence, Narnider Singh, Public Prosecutor, demanded an exemplary punishment. He said both convicts had indulged in a very serious offence despite being public servants, on whom society had a great faith. People like the convicts have designed a setup to exploit people like the complainant. The rampant corruption in such departments should be curbed and stringent punishment awarded to the convicts, which can be an example for others.

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