‘Bribe is now an accepted norm’

Bribe has become an accepted norm and no work is done without paying money in government offices, the Delhi High Court has said.

Bribe has become an accepted norm and no work is done without paying money in government offices, the Delhi High Court has said.

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The remarks were made while the high court sent a Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) employee to 18 months’ imprisonment for accepting bribe.

“The bribe culture in the country has increased so much over the time that it is hard to imagine if any work gets done in government offices and in the offices of various public

authorities without payment of bribe,” said justice SN Dhingra, adding.

“Everybody knows that no work is done without paying bribe. That is why no voice of resistance or objection is raised by co-workers in such cases. No co-worker comes to the help of harassed people either because of indifference or because they themselves indulge in similar practices,” the court said.

The court made the remarks while upholding the conviction and sentence of 18 months’ imprisonment of an MCD employee for accepting a bribe of R1,500 in 1993.

“It is not strange that in this case bribe was demanded in the presence of all other employees because bribe has become an accepted norm in public offices,” the court said.