GST Officer Sentenced to 5 Years in High-Profile Bribery Case
In a significant verdict against corruption, a special CBI court in Mumbai has sentenced Ashok Nayak, an assistant commissioner of GST, to five years of rigorous imprisonment for accepting a massive bribe of Rs 1.25 crore from a bar owner. The bribe was allegedly demanded to settle a case pending with the Enforcement Directorate.
The Raid and Subsequent Extortion Attempt
The case dates back to 2017 when officials from the Panvel police station conducted a raid at a bar and restaurant. During this operation, Rs 1.50 crore in cash and some jewellery were seized, leading the Enforcement Directorate to summon the bar owners to investigate the source of the substantial amount of money.
According to special public prosecutor Sandeep Singh's submissions, the complainant received a call from someone claiming to be an ED official who directed him to meet Ashok Nayak. During their meeting, Nayak allegedly made an astonishing demand of Rs 15 crore to settle the ED case, which was later negotiated down to Rs 10 crore.
The CBI Sting Operation and Arrest
Unwilling to pay the hefty bribe amount, the complainant approached the CBI Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), which set up a carefully planned sting operation. On May 6, 2017, the ACB successfully caught Nayak red-handed while he was accepting Rs 1.25 crore as the first installment of the negotiated bribe amount.
The CBI also arrested Nayak's co-accused, Dayanand Shetty, though he passed away during the trial proceedings. The prosecution presented compelling evidence, including voice recordings and transcriptions of calls where the bribe demand was explicitly made.
Court Proceedings and Final Judgment
Special Judge A V Kharkar pronounced Nayak guilty under Section 8 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and directed him to pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh in addition to the prison sentence. The 68-year-old officer had claimed during the trial that he had no connection with the ED and couldn't have influenced their investigation.
Nayak further argued that since the complainant had no pending case with his department, the bribery allegation seemed implausible. However, the court discarded these claims after examining all the evidence presented.
In his ruling, Judge Kharkar emphasized that "The accused was a public servant, who was expected to devote his sincere attention towards his duties and perform it honestly, instead he went out of the way and demanded illegal gratification to settle the matter by influencing the Investigating Officer by corrupt means. The act of the accused does not deserve any leniency."
The court also rejected Nayak's plea for leniency based on his claim of an unblemished career. A vigilance officer's report revealed that the officer had previously been found accepting money from another individual and had faced disciplinary action at that time.
This case highlights the continuing efforts by Indian investigative agencies to combat corruption among public officials and sends a strong message about the consequences of abusing official positions for personal gain.
