Special judge V P Utpat recently sentenced head constable Khandu Gunaji Ichake (50) of Ottur police station to three-year rigorous imprisonment (RI) in a bribery case. Ichake was further sentenced to three-year RI for criminal misconduct under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act. According to the prosecution, Ichake had demanded a bribe of Rs 10,000 from complainant Sunil Ukirde of Dingori village in Junnar taluk for not taking preventive action against him and his family members in a cross complaint case lodged against them by their neighbour Vishwas Amale on September 28, 2009. Additional public prosecutor Pratap Jadhav said that after negotiations, Ichake reduced the amount to Rs 6,000 and took Rs 1,000 from Ukirde and asked him to pay the rest the next day. State anti-corruption bureau personnel arrested Ichake while accepting the rest of the money. Jadhav examined three witnesses in the case.

Excise inspector acquitted

Chief judicial magistrate N T Ghadge recently acquitted Krishna Mahadik, suspended superintendent of the office of the Director General of Central Excise and Customs (Intelligence), Pune regional unit, in a case of alleged possession of a black buck hide. During a search at Mahadik’s residence in Pratiknagar in Yerawada on January 25, 2011, the CBI had seized the hide of a black buck and had registered a case under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. During the trial, CBI public prosecutor Vivek Saxena told the court that Mahadik was found in illegal possession of the black buck hide. He did not have a licence nor did he obtain permission from the competent authority for keeping the hide, he said. The prosecution relied on five witnesses, including a wild life expert and the investigating officer.

Mahadik’s lawyer Pratap Pardeshi submitted before the court that the prosecution had not proved that his client was in possession of the hide as the flat from where the hide was seized was not owned by him. While the court acquitted Mahadik after hearing both sides, the CBI officials said that they will file an appeal in the Bombay HC.

NDA job scam: Court rejects tests

The CBI special court recently turned down CBI’s plea to conduct various scientific tests such as narco-analysis and polygraph test on Lt Gen Jatinder Singh, former commandant of National Defence Academy, Colonel Anil Kumar Singh and havaldar Nar Singh. The agency had arrested eight suspects and seized over Rs 1.85 crore during searches conducted at their offices, residences and other places on June 22 in connection with the recruitment scam. The court had earlier rejected the CBI’s plea to conduct scientific tests on Colonel Kulbir Singh, staff officer to NDA commandant, its establishment officer S S Waghmare, Balkrishna Charanlal Kanojia, Vishnu Prasad Sharma, Dattatreya Eknath Shitkal, Manoj Maruti Shitkal and Ramesh Dilip Gaikwad.