Former revenue inspector sentenced to seven years in bribery case

The Kollam Vigilance Court on Monday sentenced a former revenue inspector of the Pandalam municipality to seven years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹20,000 in a bribery case. The convict was identified as Reji George, a native of Kaippattoor in Pathanamthitta.

Reji George was found guilty of accepting a bribe of ₹2,000 from a complainant for issuing an ownership certificate. In 2017, the complainant had submitted an application to the Pandalam municipality seeking transfer of ownership of a house situated on ancestral property. The accused, who was then serving as revenue inspector, allegedly demanded a bribe of ₹30,000 for issuing the certificate in the complainant’s name.

He was caught red-handed by the Pathanamthitta unit of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau while accepting ₹2,000 as bribe.

Pronouncing the judgment, Vigilance judge Mohith C.S. sentenced the accused to three years of imprisonment and a fine of ₹10,000 under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and four years of simple imprisonment with a fine of ₹10,000 under Section 13(1)(d) read with Section 13(2) of the Act. The sentences will run concurrently.

Public Prosecutor Siju Rajan appeared for the Vigilance.