No bribe demand found, court accepts CBI closure report against ROC official

The CBI had registered an FIR on September 10, 2024, against then ROC deputy director S Landa after a businessman complained that he had been asked to pay the bribe to favour his firm in an ROC inquiry

MUMBAI: A Mumbai special court has accepted the CBI’s closure report in a 2024 bribery case against then Registrar of Companies (ROC) official for want of evidence after the agency found no specific demand for a bribe in a recorded conversation between the accused and the complainant.

No bribe demand found, court accepts CBI closure report against ROC official

The CBI had registered an FIR on September 10, 2024, against then ROC deputy director S Landa after a businessman complained that he had been asked to pay the bribe to favour his firm in an ROC inquiry. The case was based on allegations that the official had demanded ₹2 crore, later reducing it to ₹30-35 lakh.

The complainant, who allegedly did not want to pay the bribe, approached the CBI on April 23, 2024. The agency obtained the required approval from the competent authority under the Prevention of Corruption Act and registered a case.

During its investigation, however, the CBI found no evidence to support the allegation of a specific bribe demand. It examined the transcript of the recorded conversation between the complainant and Landa.

Accepting the report, the court said prosecution under the Prevention of Corruption Act could not be sustained in the absence of a bribe demand.

“As there was no demand for bribes, prosecution against the accused does not lie under the provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act. Hence, the closure report is accepted,” the court said while accepting the report.