Nagpur: Justice Nivedita Prakash Mehta of the High Court has acquitted Yadav Patil, Clerk at the Tehsil Office, Kuhi, of charges under Sections 7, 13(1)(b), and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The case stemmed from a complaint alleging that Patil demanded ₹2,000 for processing an application to convert land (Survey No. 1260/2) to non-agricultural use. Acting on the complaint, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) laid a trap which was claimed to be successful, leading to Patil’s conviction by the trial court.
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However, on appeal, the High Court found serious lapses in the prosecution’s case. The court noted that the mandatory verification of demand was not carried out, electronic devices were not used to record the alleged demand, and there was a lack of independent corroborative evidence.
Further scrutiny revealed discrepancies in land records, as the prosecution submitted 7/12 extracts of Survey No. 1207/2 instead of the land mentioned in the complaint (Survey No. 1260/2). The Tehsildar himself admitted ignorance regarding ownership documents, and the sanctioning authority failed to establish the validity of sanction based on accurate records.
Citing these procedural irregularities and evidentiary gaps, Justice Mehta ruled that the conviction could not be sustained, resulting in Patil’s acquittal.
Advocates Prakash Naidu, Joseph Bastion, and Surabhi Naidu (Godbole) represented the accused appellant.
