Ahmedabad Court Sends Two Govt Officials to 5 Years in Jail in Bribery Case

Ahmedabad: A special anti-corruption court in Ahmedabad on Tuesday sentenced two government officials in a corruption case to five years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 each after finding them guilty under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The convicted individuals were identified as Krushnakant Patel, a former district registrar who was serving as a liquidator in the Agriculture and Cooperation Department and was posted at the Municipal Cooperative Bank Ltd, and Saurabh Patel, an ad-hoc employee of the bank.

The case dates back to 2014, when the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) conducted a trap operation following a complaint filed by a former bank clerk regarding the clearance of his pending salary dues. During the operation, the ACB allegedly caught the two accused while accepting bribe money.

Investigators intercepted the duo while they were leaving the bank premises carrying two bags. During the search, officials recovered Rs 48.6 lakh in cash, which was allegedly collected from multiple employees.

Following the investigation, both accused were booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act and later put on trial.

Special Judge B.B. Jadav, while pronouncing the verdict, held both men guilty and directed them to deposit the recovered amount with the state treasury. DeshGujarat