New Delhi, May 18 The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a woman advocate and an Additional Legal Advisor of Ministry of Law & Justice for allegedly taking bribes from advocates for facilitating their appointment as notaries, an official said here on Thursday.
On Monday, the probe agency had filed an FIR against the two in this regard.
Legal Advisor T. K Malik and a Bengaluru-based woman advocate Vani G.K were placed under arrest in the matter on Thursday.
A senior CBI official said that they received a tip-off that Malik, the Additional Legal Advisor and In-charge, Branch Secretariat, Bengaluru, was obtaining bribes from advocates for facilitating their appointment as notaries.
The CBI learnt that Malik, while posted at Notary Cell, Shastri Bhawan, was looking after examination and scrutiny of applications of aspiring advocates for appointment as notary for different states including Karnataka
Malik had been in contact with Bengaluru-based advocate Vani G.K., in the matter of appointment of five advocates. She had also approached him earlier for the same reason.
"On May 8, Malik informed Vani that he had paid some amounts in Delhi for the selection of five advocates as notaries and now she should give some payments to him and the remaining amount could be paid to him once the list is published. Malik demanded a huge bribe and she agreed to pay," said the official.
On May 15, Malik vigorously asked Vani for delivery of the bribe amount to him at the earliest, on which she assured him that she would try to deliver part of the bribe amount to him in a day or two.
"After receiving the information, we filed a case under Section 120-B of Indian Penal Code and Section 7, 8 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act against Malik, woman advocate Vani and unknown persons. Later, we laid a trap and caught the accused red-handed while demanding and accepting the bribe," said the official.
The official said that around four lakh rupees was recovered from Malik. The CBI also conducted search operations at the premises belonging to the accused in Delhi, NCR and in Bengaluru which led to the recovery of around Rs 34 lakh.
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