A special CBI court in Aurangabad has convicted Vinayak Rayappa Kattimani, the former principal of Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV) Nanded, in a bribery case involving the clearance of school furniture bills. Special Judge S.K. Kulkarni sentenced Kattimani to one year of rigorous imprisonment, concluding a trial that spanned nearly 14 years.
Case Background
The case dates back to November 1, 2011, when the Nagpur Anti-Corruption Branch of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a complaint filed by Gaus Khan. Khan, associated with a Nanded-based firm called Deccan Steel Product, had supplied furniture to the school and was struggling to get his pending bills cleared.
According to the prosecution, when Khan met the principal on November 23, 2011, to request the release of his payment, Kattimani informed him that the cheque was ready but demanded a bribe to hand it over.
Details of the Bribe Demand
CBI special public prosecutor (PP) Arvind Kumar submitted that Kattimani initially demanded Rs 4,500. Following a verification procedure the next day, the demand was negotiated down to Rs 4,000. Investigators successfully trapped the accused while he was accepting the bribe for processing the bill payment.
Conviction and Sentencing
After a lengthy trial, Judge Kulkarni found Kattimani guilty under Section 7 (demanding a bribe) and Section 13(1)(d) read with 13(2) (criminal misconduct by a public servant) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Regarding the sentencing, special PP Kumar said, “The court sentenced him to six months of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 20,000 under Section 7. He was also awarded one year of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000 under the provisions related to criminal misconduct. Both sentences will run concurrently.”
The case highlights the persistence of anti-corruption efforts, with the CBI successfully securing a conviction after nearly 14 years of legal proceedings.
