- By Shibra Arshad
- Sat, 20 Sep 2025 11:37 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
A recent judgment by the Chhattisgarh High Court has proven that while justice may be delayed, truth cannot be hidden. In a 39-year-old case, the court has granted relief to an individual accused of taking a bribe of Rs 100. The case dates back to 1986, when Jageshwar Prasad Awasthi allegedly demanded a bribe from employee Ashok Kumar Verma to process his pending bill.
Ashok Kumar Verma filed a complaint, leading to a trap laid by the Lokayukta, which caught Awasthi red-handed with phenolphthalein powder-marked notes. However, in 2004, the lower court sentenced Awasthi to one year in prison.
The High Court has now set aside the lower court's verdict, acquitting Awasthi due to a lack of concrete evidence to prove the demand for bribery.
Ashok Kumar's appeal against the verdict was heard by the High Court. During the hearing, a bench led by Justice B.D. Guru stated that although the case was registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947, it was still triable even after the 1988 Act came into effect. However, the prosecution failed to prove that the appellant had indeed demanded and accepted the illegal gratification.
Chhattisgarh HC Verdict
The court found that the oral, documentary, or circumstantial evidence available did not establish the offence of bribery. The court observed that the prosecution had failed to prove its burden of evidence, rendering the lower court's conviction order unsustainable. On this basis, the High Court accepted the appeal and quashed both the conviction and the sentence.