Dhar (Madhya Pradesh): Court of First Additional Sessions Judge in Dhar sentenced four years of rigorous imprisonment to the Integrated Child Development (ICD) project officer Angurbala Bhuria posted in the Women and Child Development Department (WCDD) for demanding a bribe.
Deputy director of prosecution TC Billaure informed that Angurbala was arrested for accepting a bribe of Rs 5,000 on December 5, 2017, from the complainant in the matter.
Billaure informed that Angurbala who was posted at Dharampuri tehsil had given a letter of termination from service to complainant Geeta Bai, an Anganwadi worker in the month of June 2017 citing negligence in the works.
The complainant discussed this matter with her in her office on October 3, 2017, then she told Geeta Bai that she could reinstate her termination. Angurbala took an application from Geetabai demanding a bribe amount of Rs 20,000.
ICD officer pressurized Anganwadi worker for bribe
On November 22, 2017, the accused Angurbala called the complainant to the office and said that she is preparing her re-appointment order, but before this, she had to pay Rs 20,000 for this work. Complainant Geetabai cited her being poor and won’t able to pay this much amount.
On her request, Angurbala agreed to half the bribe amount and took Rs one thousand from her on the spot and gave her re-appointment order to Geetabai.
After this, Angurbala started pressurizing her to pay the remaining bribe amount. Fed-up of constant pressure, Anganwadi worker Geetabai tabled her complaint before the Lokayukta office at Indore and narrated the whole incident.
After which, on December 5, 2017, a team of special establishments of Madhya Pradesh police trapped Angurbala accepting a bribe of Rs 5,000.
After completing the investigation, the charge sheet was submitted to the court for trial.
During the trial, the prosecution produced 13 witnesses in the court to prove its case and only two witnesses were produced from the defence side. Relying on the important evidence of the prosecution, the order of sentence was passed by the court.
