Retired Government Employee Sentenced to 3 Years Jail in Bribery Case in Chhattisgarh

Raipur

A special anti-corruption court in Surguja district on Thursday sentenced a retired government employee to three years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 for accepting a bribe.

The convicted official, V.K. Sinha, was serving as Assistant Grade-III in the office of the Executive Engineer, Water Resources Department, Division No. 1, Ambikapur, at the time of the offence.

According to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), the case originated from a complaint filed by Lochan Singh, a resident of Katkona village, on July 16, 2020. Singh alleged that his father, Larghuram, a retired watchman of the Water Resources Department, had retired on November 30, 2015, but had received only Rs 7,224 from the savings fund, while his pension and gratuity benefits remained pending.

When Singh approached Sinha to expedite the processing of the pension and gratuity case, the official allegedly demanded a bribe. Singh had already paid Rs 3,000, but Sinha allegedly sought an additional Rs 8,000 to clear the pending dues.

Refusing to pay any further bribe, Singh approached the ACB unit in Ambikapur. After verifying the complaint, the ACB laid a trap, during which the demanded amount was negotiated down to Rs 7,000.

On August 13, 2020, ACB officials caught Sinha red-handed while allegedly accepting Rs 7,000 from the complainant on the main road outside the Water Resources Department office in Ambikapur.

Following the investigation, the ACB filed a chargesheet against Sinha under the Prevention of Corruption Act on June 22, 2021. After completion of the trial, the Special Court found him guilty and pronounced the sentence on June 4, 2026.