T GANAPATHY Vs. COLLECTOR TIRUNELVELI DISTRICT

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The Original Application in O.A.No.2381 of 2000 before the Tamil Nadu Administrative Tribunal is the present writ petition.

(2.) The petitioner was appointed as Junior Assistant on 20.09.1967. He was promoted as Assistant in the year 1973. He was further promoted as Deputy Tahsildar on 01.07.1995. He worked as Special Deputy Tahsildar in the office of the Assistant Director (Mines), Tirunelveli from 28.08.1996 to 21.03.1997. While he was working as Special Deputy Tahsildar, a case in Crime No.2/97 of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Department, Tirunelveli was registered against him for having committed an offence punishable under Sections 7 and 13(2) r/w 13(1)(d) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 along with the Assistant Director of Mines.

(3.) The crux of the allegation was that in the year 1997, the Assistant Director of Mines demanded a bribe of Rs.500/- and the petitioner demanded bribe of Rs.200/- from one Mr.V.R.Elango, for issuing permit for transporting Jelly and stone from the quarry. Mr.V.R.Elango launched a complaint to the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Department and trap was laid and phenophthalein test conducted on both the hands of Assistant Director of Mines and the petitioner and the same proved as positive. Thereafter, arrest was made. The petitioner and the Assistant Director of Mines were released on bail, subsequently.