III Additional District and Sessions Judge B.B. Jakati here on Thursday sentenced Coastal Security Police Inspector Y. Gangi Reddy to four years of simple imprisonment on finding him guilty of possessing assets that was more than his known sources of income in a case filed by Lokayutka Police 11 years ago.
The judge convicted Reddy of an offence punishable under Section 13 (1) (e) read with Section 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act in the morning. Later, the judge heard the officer and passed the sentence. Apart from imprisonment, the judge imposed a fine of ₹ 5 lakh on the police official.
The then Deputy Superintendent of Police, Lokayukta Police, Sadanand Vernekar, had registered a case against Reddy, who was then the Circle Inspector, Belthangady, on August 27, 2009.
Mr. Vernekar and his team visited several places and collected documents related to assets possessed by the officer in the period between October 1993 and August 2009. Deputy Superintendent of Police M. Vittal Das Pai submitted a charge-sheet stating that Reddy possessed assets worth ₹ 14.71 lakh which, he said, was disproportionate to the officer’s known sources of income.
In his 122-page judgment, the judge said that the portion of Reddy’s disproportionate income was ₹ 10.39 lakh (₹ 10,39,562). After deducting Reddy’s salary for two months that had not been considered by the investigation officer, this portion came to ₹ 10.22 lakh (₹ 10,22,630).
While refusing to show any leniency to the accused, the judge, in his order on the sentence, said that in cases such as this one, society waits with patience that justice is done.
As many as 22 witnesses were examined and 107 documents produced in the case. Advocate K.S.N. Rajesh represented the Lokayukta Police.
