A section officer of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University has been sent to jail by a Delhi court for demanding a bribe of Rs.1 lakh for facilitating an admission in B.Ed course in 2004.
Sharad Kumar, who was on deputation with the varsity, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail and fined Rs. 20,000 by Special Judge B. R. Kedia.
“The cancer of corruption has spread its tentacles in the social life to such an extent that the faith of the common man in institutional work is obliterated,” the court said.
In July 2004, Mukesh Choudhary lodged a complaint with the Anti-Corruption Branch against Kumar for demanding Rs.1 lakh for admitting his sister Mona. He said his sister ranked 2,033 in the 2004 B.Ed entrance examination and the university had called candidates up to the rank of 2,600 for counselling in July. Her counselling was scheduled for July 9, 2004, but she came to know about it only the next day. They then met Kumar, who was dealing with B.Ed admissions, in his office on July 12. He called them after two days and on their visit told them the counselling had already closed but that he could help them if they agreed to pay Rs.1 lakh.
On Mr. Choudhary's request, he agreed to accept Rs.20,000 and take the balance at the time of admission. Meanwhile, Mr. Choudhary lodged the complaint with the Anti-Corruption Branch, which caught Kumar red-handed.
He was convicted and sentenced under Section 7 (demanding and accepting illegal gratification) and sections 13(2) read with section 13(1)(d) (criminal misconduct by public servant) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
