Compulsorily retired for taking Rs 50 bribe, K'taka HC gives relief to man

The Karnataka High Court has set aside the order of disciplinary authority, which had given the punishment of compulsory retirement for a government employee for receiving Rs 50 bribe.

The Division bench headed by Justice D.G. Pandit and Justice Ananth Ramanath Hegde gave the order on Monday. The bench remarked that the punishment imposed was shockingly disproportionate to the nature and gravity of the offence.

The petition in this regard was filed by one M.S. Kadakol, who challenged the order issued in 2004. The bench has remitted the matter back to the disciplinary committee and asked to pass appropriate order of punishment within a period of two months.

It was alleged that the petitioner had asked for a Rs 150 bribe for the dispatch of service records of Chandrachari, a government employee who was transferred from Dharawad to Byadagi.

Later, he was caught by the Lokayukta sleuths while accepting the bribe of Rs 50. The petitioner was hiding the money in socks. The Lokayukta police have lodged a complaint against him under the Prevention of Corruption Act Section 7, 13 (1), 13 (2).

Later departmental inquiry was done and disciplinary authority on September 7, 2004 gave him the punishment of compulsory retirement. The Karnataka Administrative Tribunal (KAT) has also rejected the petition questioning the punishment order. Later, petitioner Kadakol had approached the high court in this regard.