A special court for Lokayukta corruption cases in Tumakuru has sentenced a retired BESCOM assistant executive engineer and an electrical contractor to five years’ simple imprisonment for accepting a ₹30,000 bribe to facilitate the installation of a transformer.
The convicted are former BESCOM-Kunigal Assistant Executive Engineer P N Hanumantaiah and electrical contractor P T Sheshachalaiah alias Sheshachala. Following the verdict, both were shifted to the Tumakuru District Prison.
Special Judge Yasmin Parveen Ladkhan also imposed a fine of ₹30,000 on each of the convicts. In case of failure to pay the fine, they will have to undergo an additional nine months of simple imprisonment.
Bribery case dates back to 2014
According to the prosecution, the case dates back to January 25, 2014, when a farmer approached BESCOM seeking the installation of a transformer to operate electric motors on his agricultural land.
The prosecution said Hanumantaiah allegedly demanded a bribe of ₹70,000 to process the request and instructed the farmer to pay ₹30,000 as an advance through the contractor.
Unwilling to pay the bribe, the farmer lodged a complaint with the Tumakuru Lokayukta Police.
Lokayukta trap led to arrest
Acting on the complaint, Lokayukta officials organised a trap and caught the engineer and the contractor near the BESCOM office in Kunigal while allegedly accepting the ₹30,000 bribe.
After a detailed investigation and trial, the special court found both accused guilty of corruption and sentenced them to five years’ imprisonment.
The judgment reinforces the role of the Lokayukta in tackling corruption and serves as a reminder of the legal consequences of demanding or accepting bribes by public servants.