Rajkot, Jan 30 Rajkot Sessions Court in Gujarat has sentenced Ramesh Bhagwandas Tolani, a Divisional Engineer (Works) of Western Railway, to three years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 15,000 in a corruption case dating back to 2011.
The case originated when a complainant at the railway station applied for an extension of their contract to provide drinking water to passengers and railway staff.
Tolani allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 40,000 in exchange for approving the two-year extension. Following a complaint, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) conducted an operation and arrested him.
The case was registered under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, at the ACB police station in Rajkot. After reviewing the evidence and witness testimonies, the court found Tolani guilty.
He has been sentenced to three years under Sections 13(1)(d) and 13(2), along with a Rs 10,000 fine. Failure to pay the fine would result in an additional three months of imprisonment. The ACB has urged the public to report any instances of corruption via their toll-free helpline (1064) or through WhatsApp at 90999 11095.
Gujarat has witnessed a notable increase in bribery cases in recent years. Between 2021 and 2022, the state's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) reported a 16.5 per cent rise in registered bribery incidents, with cases climbing from 145 in 2021 to 169 in 2022. The total monetary value involved in these cases amounted to Rs 2.23 crore.
Notably, 86 personnel from the Gujarat Police were implicated during this period. In 2023, the Gujarat Police maintained its position as the department with the highest reported instances of bribery for the fifth consecutive year since 2019.
The ACB registered 66 cases involving the Home Department, leading to the arrest of 94 individuals, including 65 police officers and 29 associates. The bureau recovered bribes totalling Rs 38.07 lakh in 60 of these cases.
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