NAGPUR: The Nagpur bench of Bombay high court has acquitted a branch manager of an insurance firm of graft charges.
Justice Anil Kilor has quashed and set aside the Gadchiroli special court’s verdict of convicting petitioner Onkar Ramteke from the charges of accepting Rs 8,000 bribe for clearing an insurance claim of a complaint for damage to his Tata Sumo vehicle.
The petitioner was working as a branch manager of the United India Insurance Company Limited in Gadchiroli. After being convicted under the Prevention to Corruption Act, 1988, he was sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment along with Rs 5,000 fine. He then moved HC through counsel Raghvendra Joshi challenging the Gadchiroli court’s judgment.
According to prosecution, the complainant had approached the CBI after the petitioner had demanded the bribe for clearing his insurance claims. The accused had told him that he was going to Nagpur on September 29, 2000, and the latter should hand over the amount at Armori. Accordingly, the CBI laid a trap at Armori and caught Ramteke.
The HC however, observed that the complainant did not depose anything about the date, time and place of the initial first demand. He also did not inform anything about the time and spot where he was supposed to meet the accused.
When CBI had pointed out that the FIR had contents in this regard, the HC said it was not a substantive piece of evidence and it can be used only for corroboration or contradiction of the complainant.
