Mumbai: Anti-Corruption Bureau Arrests Small Causes Court Staffer For Accepting ₹25 Lakh Bribe

Mumbai: The Mumbai Unit of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested a translator and interpreter of the Small Causes Court at Dhobi Talao for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 25 lakh from a hotelier for getting the outcome of a case in his favour, the agency officials said on Tuesday. The accused public servant has been identified as Vishal Chandrakant Sawant, 43.

According to the ACB, a suit had been filed by the 66-year-old complainant at the Small Causes Court, Dhobi Talao, Mumbai regarding ownership rights of a Worli based hotel and the outcome of the said case was pending in the final stage. The accused public servant Sawant allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 25 lakh from the complainant saying that he would get the outcome of the case in favor of the complainant.

As the complainant did not want to pay the bribe, he approached the ACB office and lodged a complaint in the matter. Pursuant to the complaint, during the verification conducted by the ACB of the allegations of the complainant, it was revealed that Sawant had demanded a bribe of Rs 25 lakh from the complainant in order to get the outcome of the case in his favour.

The ACB team then decided to carry out a trap proceeding. Initially Sawant had called the complainant near his office to hand over the bribe money, but later he asked the complainant to meet him at a hotel opposite Ashoka Shopping Center at LT Marg. The ACB officials then caught Sawant red-handed while accepting Rs 25 lakh. A case was registered under section 7 (offence relating to public servant being bribed) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and was then placed under arrest.