PRAVEEN KUMAR P.N. Vs. STATE OF KERALA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Accused Nos.2, 4 and 7 in Crime No.VC.02/2021 of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, Kozhikode, have preferred this Crl.M.C. under Sec. 528 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (2023), seeking the following prayers:

(2.) Heard the learned counsel for the petitioners and the learned Special Public Prosecutor.

(3.) The prosecution case, as per the FIR, is that the accused persons, who are the Revenue officials of Thamarassery Taluk Office, seized vehicles which were found to be used for illegal transportation of soil, mines and minerals from 2/1/2015 to 25/5/2016, illegally compounded the offence and fined the offenders by corruptly accepting a meagre amount of Rs.4,17,000.00 instead of Rs.15,25,000.00, and thereby caused a loss of Rs.11,08,000.00 to the State Exchequer. On this premise, the prosecution allegation is that the accused committed offence under Sec. 13(1)(d) r/w Sec. 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (for short, 'the PC Act, 1988' hereinafter).