Chandigarh: Two officers of EPFO convicted in graft case

Chandigarh, May 24

The CBI court has convicted Vijay Rawat and Bachittar Singh, two enforcement officers of the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Sector 17, in a bribery case registered by the CBI seven years ago.

The CBI had arrested the accused in 2015 while accepting a bribe of Rs 2 lakh from a representative of a Mohali-based company, M/s Homeland Buildwell (P) Limited. The complainant, Jasbir Singh, in a complaint submitted to the CBI, had stated that he had been allotted a contract of advising various companies, including a Mohali-based firm, on labour matters. Vijay and Bachitar served a notice on the Mohali-based private firm, directing it to submit certain record for verification. He alleged that the officers issued the notice without prior approval of the competent authority. 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 the company in the checking of the record.

The CBI claimed after negotiations, the accused agreed to take Rs 2 lakh as the first instalment of the bribe amount. The CBI laid a trap and caught both officer taking Rs 2 lakh from the complainant on November 30, 2015.

The CBI filed a chargesheet against the accused and the court framed charges under Section 120-B, read with Section 7, 13 (1) (d) punishable under Section 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, to which the accused pleaded not guilty.

Narnider Singh, Public Prosecutor, said the prosecution had proved the case beyond a shadow of doubt. The counsel for the accused said they were implicated in a false case. After hearing of the arguments, the court convicted the accused and fixed May 26 for the pronouncement of the quantum of sentence.