Deputy Tahsildar Gets 4-Year Jail Term for Bribe in Disability Pension Case
A Shivamogga court sentenced a former deputy tahsildar to four years in prison and fined her ₹40,000 for accepting a bribe to sanction a disability pension in 2017.
A special court in Shivamogga on Tuesday sentenced a former Revenue Department official to four years of rigorous imprisonment for demanding and accepting a bribe to process a disability pension application.
The First Additional District and Sessions and Special Court also imposed a fine of ₹40,000 on the convicted officer, identified as Pushpalatha, who was serving as deputy tahsildar of Bhadravathi taluk at the time of the offence in 2017.
According to the prosecution, Girish, a resident of D.B. Halli in Holehonnur hobli, had approached Pushpalatha seeking a disability pension for his father Parameshwarappa, who has been speech-impaired since birth. Girish had obtained the required medical certificate to support the claim.
However, the officer allegedly demanded a bribe of ₹10,000 to grant the pension. Following the demand, Girish lodged a complaint with the Karnataka Lokayukta Police, who laid a trap and caught Pushpalatha red-handed on September 21, 2017, while she was accepting ₹5,000 from the complainant.
The investigation was conducted by Karnataka Lokayukta inspector G.S. Thippeswamy, who later filed the chargesheet in the case.