The Special Court for Trial of Cases under Prevention of Corruption Act in Madurai sentenced a former panchayat president in Madurai district to four-year rigorous imprisonment for demanding and accepting bribe amount to approve a building plan in 2013.
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Special Court Judge R. Barathiraja sentenced the former president of the Kulamangalam panchayat K. Malaichamy to four-year rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹ 2,000.
The then president of Kulamangalam panchayat was arrested on the charges of demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹ 1,500 to approve a building plan. A lawyer, Tirupathi, had approached the president as he was not issued the building plan approval even after paying the stipulated fee for the local body.
Malaichamy had reportedly demanded ₹ 1,500 to clear the application. After Mr. Tirupathi lodged a complaint with the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) wing. The DVAC sleuths had laid a trap and arrested Malaichamy red-handed at his office.