DINDIGUL: R. Buhril, Additional Secretary and Adviser to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, appeared as one of the witnesses before Chief Judicial Magistrate P. Asokan here on Thursday morning in connection with a graft case.
According to prosecution, the then Palani Warehouse Manager, A. Devaraj, demanded a bribe of ₹10,000 from one Raagulan of Mannargudi for releasing paddy bags kept under his custody. Acting on a complaint from Raagulan, Dindigul Vigilance and Anti-Corruption wing police had set a trap and arrested Devaraj when he was accepting the bribe from the complainant on May 5, 2009.
Defence counsel M. Kannappan cross-examined the Additional Secretary for about 45 minutes. Mr. Buhril was then serving as Managing Director for Ware Housing in the State. He was the first prosecution witness in the case. The prosecution had produced 13 witnesses.
Mr. Buhril was the competent authority to issue a sanction order to the police to prosecute the Palani Warehouse Manager. He had issued the sanction order on September 9, 2009.
He came in a special flight from New Delhi to Madurai, from where he travelled to Dindigul via road. He was escorted by a special commando force team from New Delhi. The court complex was brought under a tight security blanket.
