Ranchi News: The troubles of former parcel clerk Kali Shankar Dhobi in the case of taking bribe of Rs 100 at Ranchi’s Hatia railway station in 1995 are still not over. Jharkhand High Court has upheld his conviction in this 31 year old case. However, considering his age, illness and the long-running legal process, the court has reduced the sentence period. Now at the age of 75, Kali Shankar Dhobi will have to serve a maximum jail sentence of one year.
100 rupees were asked for booking the bike
This entire matter is of 27 April 1995. At that time, Kali Shankar Dhobi was posted as a parcel clerk at Hatia railway station in Ranchi. Complainant Nirmal Kumar Begani had to send his bike from Hatia railway station to Samastipur in Bihar. It is alleged that the parcel clerk had demanded a bribe of Rs 100 from him in exchange for booking the bike. After this the complainant informed the matter to CBI. CBI got the complaint verified. After the complaint was found true during verification, trap action was taken on 27 April 1995.
Was caught red handed taking Rs 100
The CBI team took action and caught the then parcel clerk Kali Shankar Dhobi red handed while taking a bribe of Rs 100. After this, a case was registered against him under the Anti-Corruption Act. After the action of CBI, the case reached the special court. After a hearing that lasted for almost nine years, in the year 2004, the special court convicted Kali Shankar Dhobi in the case of taking bribe.
The trial court had sentenced up to two and a half years
The special CBI court had sentenced Kali Shankar Dhobi to one year imprisonment and a fine of Rs 4,000 under Section 7 of the Anti-Corruption Act. At the same time, under Section 13(2), he was ordered to undergo imprisonment of one and a half years and a fine of Rs 6,000. The punishment awarded in both sections was to run concurrently. After this, Kali Shankar Dhobi filed an appeal in the Jharkhand High Court against the decision of the trial court.
The case remained pending in the High Court for 2 decades
After the decision of the trial court, this case reached the High Court, but it took more than two decades for its hearing to be completed. In this way, this case, which started in 1995, continued in the legal process for about 31 years. Recently, the court of Justice Pradeep Kumar Srivastava heard the case in Jharkhand High Court. The court, after hearing the arguments of both the accused Kali Shankar Dhobi and the CBI, upheld the conviction given by the trial court.
The punishment was reduced considering age and illness.
However, the High Court gave relief to Kali Shankar Dhobi and reduced the period of his sentence. The court said that the case has dragged on for an unusually long time. Apart from this, the accused is very old and is also suffering from many diseases. Considering these circumstances, the court decided to reduce the punishment to the minimum level.
The court reduced the sentence of one year to 6 months under Section 7 of the Anti-Corruption Act. At the same time, under Section 13(2), the punishment of one and a half years was reduced to one year. Both the sentences will run concurrently. This means that Kali Shankar Dhobi will have to serve a maximum jail sentence of one year.
Already lost job, now turn to go to jail
After being found guilty in this case, Kali Shankar Dhobi has already been dismissed from the job of Railways. It was also told before the court that he had no previous criminal history and this case of bribe of Rs 100 was his first crime. Despite these circumstances, the High Court did not quash his conviction.
The court has also canceled the bail and directed him to surrender within two months. Necessary legal action can be taken against them if they do not surrender within the stipulated time. In this way, the case which started with a bribe of Rs 100 on April 27, 1995, has not ended for Kali Shankar Dhobi even after almost 31 years. At the age of 75, he will now have to face jail sentence under the court order.