On Friday, May 26, 2023, the special CBI Court of Chandigarh sentenced two EPFO Sector 17, Chandigarh officers to six years imprisonment for accepting a bribe of Rs 2 lakh in 2015.
According to Indian Express, two EPFO officers Vijay Rawat and Bachittar Singh are found guilty under Sections 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, with Section 120 b of the IPC and Section 13 (1) (d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 with Section 120 b of IPC.
The special CBI court Additional District and Sessions Judge Jagjit Singh also imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on each of them.
According to reports, Vijay Rawat and Bachittar Singh were arrested by the CBI in 2015 while accepting a bribe of Rs 2 lakh from a Mohali-based company, Homeland Buildwell (P) Limited.
Jasbir Singh, the complainant in this case, stated to the CBI that he had been allotted a contract of advising various companies, including a Mohali-based firm, on labour matters.
The accused Vijay and Bachittar had served a notice on the Mohali-based private firm, Homeland Buildwell (P) Limited directing it to submit certain records for verification.
He alleged that the officers issued the notice without prior approval of the competent EPFO authority.
Jasbir Singh, the complainant who was authorized by the firm, the officials made a phone call to him and allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 4 lakh for favouring the company while checking the record.
According to CBI after negotiations, the accused, Vijay Rawat and Bachittar Singh had agreed to take Rs 2 lakh as the first installment of the bribe. The CBI laid a trap and caught both EPFO officers while taking a Rs 2 lakh bribe from the complainant on 30th November 2015.
The special CBI court said while pronouncing the sentence, that both convicts are public servants, and have a lot of responsibility upon them. People visit their offices with full faith to get their work done. But then people like the convicts who are aware of the consequences of taking bribes still do not shy away from doing so.
Convicts are also aware that they can face punishment, and humiliation in society if they try to commit such offenses, but still, they try to befool the system, the judge added
