Satara judge booked for demanding Rs 5 lakh bribe

The Pune unit of the ACB had received a complaint from a 24-year-old woman whose father, a civilian defence employee at an Army establishment in Pune, is currently in prison in judicial custody in connection with a case registered against him at Satara City Police station. The case pertains to the charges of criminal breach of trust and cheating a person on the pretext of giving a government job in return for money.

A bail application filed by the woman complainant’s father was earlier rejected by a court of judicial magistrate. Subsequently higher court was moved and the bail application is pending before the court presided over by Judge Nikam. “To rule on the bail application in favour of the accused, private persons Kishor Kharat and Anand Kharat demanded a bribe of Rs five lakh from the complainant at the behest of public servant Judge Dhananjay Nikam. The complainant woman approached the ACB.” said Dayanand Gawade, Deputy Superintendent of Police with the ACB.

Gawade added, “Between December 3 and December 9, the bribe demand was verified as part of the investigation. The probe confirmed that the accused public servant in connivance with Kishor Kharat and Anand Kharat made the demand of Rs five lakh from the complainant to grant her father the bail. Accordingly an offence under Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against Nikam, Kishor Kharat and Anand Kharat and one more unidentified accused. Further investigation is on.”