E-Paper
Ludhiana: ASI gets 4-year jail in bribery case
The convict sought leniency claiming that his wife and three children were dependent upon him and that he is the sole bread earner of his family, but the court noted that the offence left no scope for a lenient view
The special court of judge Amrinder Singh Shergill has convicted assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Tarsem Singh in a four-year-old corruption case, sentencing him to four years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of ₹25,000. The conviction comes in connection with a bribery incident in 2021 when the ASI was caught red-handed while accepting ₹1,500 for executing non-bailable warrants.
The convict sought leniency claiming that his wife and three children were dependent upon him and that he is the sole bread earner of his family. However, the prosecution firmly opposed the request, arguing that instead of performing his official duties with integrity, he chose to solicit a bribe from a complainant in exchange for fulfilling a basic legal responsibility.
The court, in its judgement, mentioned that in these facts and circumstances, coupled with the offence, which the convict has committed, leave no scope for a lenient view against him.
The case dates back to February 25, 2021, when the vigilance bureau arrested ASI Tarsem Singh, who was then posted at the division number 8 police station. He was apprehended while accepting a bribe from Rahul Kumar, a resident of New Kundanpuri, for serving a court-issued non-bailable warrant in a cheque bounce case.
According to the complaint filed by Kumar, he had moved court against one Rajat Rana for issuing a dishonoured cheque. The court subsequently issued non-bailable warrants against Rana and directed the police to serve them. However, Kumar alleged that ASI Singh deliberately delayed executing the warrants. When Kumar followed up, the ASI allegedly demanded ₹2,000 as a bribe, though the amount was eventually settled at ₹1,500.
Unwilling to pay the bribe, Kumar approached the Vigilance Bureau, which laid a trap. ASI Singh was caught in the act and arrested. A case was registered against him under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
