Raipur
A Sub-Divisional Magistrate and his subordinates were arrested in Surguja district of Chhattisgarh for allegedly accepting bribes. The ACB (Anti-Corruption Bureau) arrested Udaipur SDM, B.R. Khande, along with his three subordinate employees on charges of bribery. The ACB will present them in court. After the arrests on Friday, the ACB team seized two bundles of documents from his residence at Gandhi Chowk.
The accused allegedly demanded Rs 50,000 from the complainant to pass a favorable judgment in a pending land dispute case. According to sources, the case involved Kanhai Ram Banjara from the village of Jajga, whose land dispute was under consideration in the SDM court. Kanhai Ram’s three parcels of land, with area numbers 0.251, 0.635, and 0.243 hectares, are registered in his and his family’s names.
Kanhai Ram’s elder uncle had applied to the tehsil office to register the land solely in his name. On September 21, 2022, the then-tehsildar of Udaipur ordered corrections to the revenue records in favor of Kanhai Ram’s elder uncle and others. Kanhai Ram’s elder uncle then appealed the order in the SDM court.
It is alleged that the SDM demanded Rs 50,000 from Kanhai Ram to pass a judgment in his favor. Kanhai Ram reported this to the ACB, which, after verifying the complaint, planned a trap.
Around 6 PM on Friday, Kanhai Ram, carrying chemically treated notes, went to the SDM office. Allegedly, the SDM instructed clerk Dharampal to collect the bribe, who then passed it to peon Abir Ram. Subsequently, on the SDM’s direction, the amount was handed over to Home Guard Kavi Nath Singh.
During this exchange, the ACB team conducted a raid and arrested the SDM and all accused red-handed.
In addition to the bribe, the SDM also attempted to seize 50 decimals of Kanhai Ram’s land. It is alleged that the SDM arranged for a power of attorney for the sale of 50 decimals of land in Jajga in the names of two acquainted women, aiming to secure the land for himself in the future.
The ACB team seized two bundles of documents from the SDM’s residence, and further investigations into these documents may reveal more details.
The employees arrested along with the SDM include a reader, a peon, and a guard, who were caught holding the bribe money on the SDM’s instructions.
