New Delhi: A retired Assistant Commissioner of Police has been sentenced to one year jail by a Delhi court for accepting Rs 5,000 as bribe eight years ago from a subordinate, who used to process issuance of crackers licences for the festive season.
Special CBI Judge Pradeep Chaddah awarded one year jail to 65-year-old Hawa Singh, the then ACP in Delhi police, after convicting him under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
"I have given my considered thought. Convict is 65 years old retired public servant. Court must make an effort to strike balance between interest of society and age and related circumstances of the convict.
"Keeping in mind his age and back ground, I sentence convict Hawa Singh to undergo one year rigorous imprisonment," the judge said, beside imposing a fine of Rs 50,000 on the convict.
Singh was facing trial since 2004 on the allegation that while working as ACP (Public Grievances Cell) in the Delhi Police, he had accepted Rs 5,000 bribe from a sub-inspector Harminder Singh, who was involved in the process for issuance of cracker licences for Diwali.
"The complainant (Harminder), instead of complying with the illegal and illegitimate extortion, made a complaint to CBI and got the convict trapped while accepting Rs 5,000," the court noted while sentencing the retired ACP.
Harminder, who was then posted in the office of DCP North District, in his complaint to the CBI said that before issuing the crackers licence for the festive seasons, he used to get signatures of Additional DCP North on the documents.
The CBI had alleged that the then ACP used to repeatedly ask Harminder to give him money and crackers in return for the signatures.
"On November 5, 2004, accused Singh summoned him to his office and asked Harminder to share the money which he was collecting from the parties for issuance of licences. He also asked him to provide him with crackers as he wanted to give them to somebody," the CBI had alleged.
PTI
