Role of Panch Witness in Cases under Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988
Dealing with a case under Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, it has been held in Ved Prakash Maurya v. State of Delhi [2025] GCtR 1949 (Delhi) that "panch witness acts as an independent verifier of the complainant’s version, and it is his presence and corroboration that lend assurance to the allegation of demand of bribe."
It was pointed out that "when the work for which illegal gratification is allegedly demanded had already been completed prior in time, the very motive or occasion for making such a demand becomes inherently improbable. The improbability is further compounded by the fact that the appellant, at the relevant time, was working merely as a beldar in the Delhi Jal Board. It is undisputed that such an employee has no authority to process or sanction applications for water or sewer connections."
Ultimately accused was acquitted in the case.
No comments:
Post a Comment