A Delhi court acquitted a Sub-Inspector with the Operation Cell of the Delhi Police in a corruption case, stating that there were contradictions in the evidence of the prosecution witnesses, and that two independent witnesses had turned hostile.
Stating that the city police could initiate departmental proceedings against Sub-Inspector Nirmal Singh, Additional Sessions Judge Manoj Jain said, “The observations appearing in the judgment would not come in the way of departmental proceedings, if any, where the evaluation is on less stringent degree of preponderance of probabilities.”
‘Caught red-handed’
A team of CBI sleuths had allegedly laid a trap and arrested Mr. Singh red-handed while accepting a bribe of ₹70,000 in exchange for letting off an accused in a cheating case.
The investigating agency had lodged a case against the officer following a complaint by the accused.
“Apparently, both public witnesses did not support the case of prosecution wholeheartedly and the aspect related to recovery [of the bribe], particularly the place of recovery makes the story suspect. Since some of the notes were found lying on the floor of the car [in which the complainant and Mr. Singh were travelling and where the bribe was allegedly delivered], it cannot be assumed with complete certainty and precision that the accused [the officer] had actually accepted the bribe,” Mr. Jain said.
“Witnesses have come up with different versions and it is not possible to read their testimony with complete harmony... I also cannot be oblivious of the fact that both material independent witnesses were declared hostile by the prosecution and in such a situation, the discrepancies on record cannot be said to be trivial.”
