New Delhi, Aug 16 An attempt by a Chandigarh-based advocate to scandalise the court by demanding a bribe of Rs 30 lakh from a litigant to "fix" the verdict in a divorce case in Punjab was foiled by the CBI by filing a corruption case against him, police said on Saturday.
According to the FIR, advocate Jatin Salwan, a resident of Sector 15, Chandigarh, demanded a bribe of Rs 30 lakh to get a favourable order in the divorce matter of the complainant's cousin sister by using his influence on the judicial officer posted in Bhatinda.
The complainant, a resident of Firozpur City, approached the federal agency after he got suspicious, and Salwan refused to reduce the bribe amount, a police official said.
The CBI, Anti-Corruption Branch, Chandigarh, registered the FIR on Thursday, noting that during negotiations, Salwan dismissed the complainant's requests to lower the bribe amount.
The lawyer told the complainant, "Rishwat de paise kade ghat nahi honde" (bribe amount is never negotiated/reduced), said the FIR.
"He also informed the complainant that some person on behalf of the judicial officer will come for the collection of the token money," the FIR said.
The preliminary verification of the complaint over two days – August 13 and 14 - was approved by Navdeep Singh Brar, IPS, Head of Branch, CВІ, DSPE, ACB, Chandigarh, and marked to an inspector for investigation after registration of a regular case.
The advocate has now been booked under penal provisions dealing with criminal conspiracy, taking undue advantage to influence a public servant by corrupt or illegal means or by exercise of personal influence, said the probe agency.
During preliminary verification of the complaint, the CBI found that Salwan asked the complainant to make the Rs 30-lakh bribe payment in full, but on negotiation with the complainant, he asked the Firozpur resident to give at least Rs 5 lakh as the first instalment.
A report filed before the registration of FIR said that the verification of the complaint "prima facie discloses commission of offence punishable under section 61(2), BNS 2023 and section 7-A of PC Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018) against Jatin Salwan, Advocate and other unknown public servant/private persons. A regular case is registered... for investigation".
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