Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Jun 15: The Lokayukta Special Court awarded one year imprisonment and a penalty of Rs 10,000 to Bantwal taluk retired tahsildar T N Narayan Rao, for demanding and accepting bribe.
On February 10, 2012, Rao had demanded Rs 3,000 from Satish Prabhu to get the gun licence transferred from his name to his son’s name. When he accepted Rs 2,000 from Prabhu, the then Mangaluru Lokayukta inspector Dileep Kumar and team raided the tahsildar's office and arrested him. They also found Rs 85,000 in Rao’s possession and seized the same.
The case was probed by the Mangaluru Lokayukta Special Court and special public prosecutor K S N Rajesh argued the matter on behalf of Mangaluru Lokayukta and proved the bribe charges registered against Rao.
The Lokayukta Special Court judge B Muralidhar Pai, in his order sentenced Rao to one year simple imprisonment and a penalty of Rs 10,000 under section 7 (a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and one year simple imprisonment and Rs 10,000 fine under Section 13 (1) D of the Act.
In case Rao fails to pay the penalty, he has to undergo three more months of simple imprisonment, the court ordered.
Rao has been directed to present valid documentation for the Rs 85,000 seized from him. If he fails then the money will be handed over to the government, the court ordered.
The tahsildar who is currently retired is settled in Yelahanka in Bengaluru. The charge sheet was filed by the then Lokayukta inspector Dileep Kumar.