Deputy Tahsildar Sentenced to Seven Years in Bribery Case

Kottayam: A Deputy Tahsildar has been sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment in a bribery case by the Vigilance Court here, a Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) official said on Friday.
Enquiry Commissioner and Special Judge (Vigilance) KV Rajaneesh on Thursday awarded the sentence along with a fine of Rs 75,000 to Bijumon PK, former Village Officer of Kidangoor, who is currently serving as Deputy Tahsildar at the Land Acquisition Office in Pala.
According to the VACB, in 2015, while serving as the Kidangoor Village Officer, Bijumon was caught red-handed by the Vigilance Unit, Kottayam, accepting a bribe of Rs 3,000 and a bottle of liquor from a resident of Puliyannoor, Kottayam. The bribe was paid to process the land mutation (pokkuvaravu) of a 10-cent property in the name of the complainant and his wife within Kidangoor village limits.
Following the investigation and submission of the chargesheet, the Vigilance Court found the accused guilty and pronounced the sentence. The court ordered that the sentences awarded under various sections will run concurrently. Public Prosecutor K. K. Sreekanth represented the Vigilance. The convicted officer has been shifted to Thiruvananthapuram Central Jail, the VACB official added.