Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru (EP)

Mangaluru, Jul 9: Dr Anita Ravishankar, assistant professor of sociology at Mangaluru University, Konaje has been sentenced to five years of imprisonment on charges of receiving bribe.

Dr Anitha Ravishankar had demanded Rs 16,800 as a bribe to approve a thesis from PhD student Prema D’Souza on December 4, 2012, terming it as an expenditure of an outstation inspector who was to arrive from Mysuru. Lokayukta inspector from Mangaluru, Umesh G Shet and staff had conducted a raid and had arrested Dr Anita Ravishankar when she was receiving Rs 5,000 as advance. It was alleged that Dr Anitha had initially demanded Rs 10,000, Rs 4,000 and Rs 16,800 subsequent to it.

The court had questioned nine witnesses on behalf of the Lokayukta and the Lokayukta special court in the city accepted the arguments of special government prosecutor KSN Rajesh. The court concluded that the allegations are true and delivered the verdict. Judge B B Jakathi, of the third district and sessions court and Lokayukta special court, announced the quantum punishment on July 9.

The accused will undergo two years of imprisonment and pay a fine of Rs 15,000 under Section 7 of the Anti-corruption Act, and three years of imprisonment and a Rs 15,000 fine under section 13(1)(D). She will spend an additional one month each in case of failure to pay the fines. The court has ordered that the accused must undergo both imprisonments concurrently. The then Lokayukta inspector Umesh G Shet had conducted investigations and submitted the charge sheet.

Special government public prosecutor K S N Rajesh had argued in favour of Mangaluru Lokayukta.