MP High Court Upholds Acquittal of Ex-Patwari in Rs 300 Bribery Case After 28 Years
The Madhya Pradesh High Court has upheld the acquittal of a former Patwari accused of accepting a Rs 300 bribe, bringing an end to a legal battle that continued for nearly three decades.
A single bench of Justice Sanjay S Kalgaonkar dismissed the state government's appeal against the acquittal of Munna Lal, then a Patwari in Khurai area of Sagar district. The court held that an acquittal based on a reasonable assessment of evidence should not be interfered with.
The case dates back to October 17, 1996, when Lokayukta personnel allegedly caught Lal accepting Rs 300 from local resident Veer Singh. The money was allegedly sought in exchange for issuing duplicate land rights and loan books.
Following the complaint, the Lokayukta registered a corruption case against Lal. However, the Sagar district court acquitted him in December 1997. The state challenged the order before the Jabalpur bench of the High Court in 1998.
While dismissing the appeal, the High Court noted several shortcomings in the prosecution's evidence. It observed that the original recording of the alleged bribe demand was not verified, Lal's voice was not identified and there was insufficient evidence establishing the recording's completeness and accuracy.
The court also pointed to inconsistencies in the complainant's statements. The alleged bribe amount was described as Rs 450 and Rs 500 at different stages. The complainant also gave conflicting accounts about the presence of people when the alleged demand was made.
Importantly, revenue records showed that Veer Singh owed the government Rs 325 plus interest. The court said witness accounts and documents raised the possibility that the Rs 300 recovered from Lal could have been connected to payment of government dues.
The bench observed that mere recovery of money and a phenolphthalein test do not establish demand or acceptance of a bribe. It consequently dismissed the government's appeal and upheld Lal's acquittal.