Ranchi |
Former revenue employee of Khunti Circle, Sukhdev Bhagat, has been acquitted in a corruption case by the ACB Special Court at the Civil Court, Ranchi. On Thursday, Special Judge Omkar Nath Chaudhary pronounced the verdict, acquitting the accused due to lack of sufficient evidence, bringing major relief to him after 15 years.
According to the case details, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had arrested Sukhdev Bhagat red-handed on August 20, 2010, while allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹2,000. It was alleged that he had demanded the bribe from the complainant, Dilip Ram, in exchange for processing a mutation (dakhil-kharij) application. Following the arrest, the ACB registered a case and filed a chargesheet in court.
During the trial, the prosecution examined a total of 10 witnesses, including the informant Dilip Ram and the then ACB DSP Shrikant Kachhap. However, contradictions emerged in the statements of key prosecution witnesses during the course of the trial, which weakened the prosecution’s case.
The defence, led by advocate Anil Kumar Singh Maharana, effectively presented arguments and raised serious questions on the prosecution evidence. After examining all facts and evidence on record, the court observed that the charge of accepting a bribe could not be proved beyond reasonable doubt.
After nearly nine years of witness examination and prolonged hearings, the court ordered the acquittal of Sukhdev Bhagat. The verdict is being seen as a significant relief for the accused.
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