Deputy Tahsildar sentenced to seven years of imprisonment in bribery case

Kottayam (Kerala) Oct 30 (PTI) The Vigilance Court here has sentenced a Deputy Tahsildar to seven years of rigorous imprisonment in a bribery case, a Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) official on Friday said.

Enquiry Commissioner and Special Judge (Vigilance) KV Rajaneesh on Thursday awarded seven years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 75,000 to Bijumon PK, former Village Officer, Kidangoor, who is currently serving as Deputy Tahsildar at the Land Acquisition Office in Pala here.

According to VACB, in 2015, while serving as the Kidangoor Village Officer, Bijumon was allegedly caught red-handed by the Vigilance Unit, Kottayam, accepting a bribe of Rs 3,000 and a bottle of liquor from a resident of Puliyannoor, Kottayam.

The bribe was paid to process the land mutation (pokkuvaravu) of a 10-cent property in the name of the complainant and his wife within the Kidangoor village limits, a VACB official said.

After completing the investigation and filing the chargesheet, the Vigilance Court found the accused guilty and pronounced the sentence.

The court ordered that the sentences awarded under various sections shall run concurrently. Public Prosecutor K K Sreekanth appeared for the Vigilance. The convicted officer was shifted to the Thiruvananthapuram Central Jail, the VACB officer added. PTI TBA TBA ADB