₹100 'too small' bribe amount and trivial matter, says Bombay HC; upholds acquittal of government official

Bombay HC acquits govt. medical officer of bribery charges; notes ₹100 bribe too small in 2007 & even more so now. Court relies on provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act, finds alleged bribe too trivial to draw inference of corruption & upholds acquittal.

An amount of ₹100 seems to be "too small" as a bribe in the year 2007 and more so now, the Bombay High Court has said while acquitting a government medical officer in a corruption and bribery case.

A single Bench of Justice Jitendra Jain on Tuesday said it was a fit case to be treated as a trivial matter and upheld the trial court order acquitting the medical officer.

In 2007, one L.T. Pingale accused Dr. Anil Shinde, the medical officer of a rural hospital at Paud in Maharashtra's Pune district, of seeking ₹100 to certify his injuries following an alleged assault by his nephew.

Mr. Pingale complained to the Anti-Corruption Bureau, which laid a trap and caught Mr. Shinde red-handed. He was prosecuted under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

In January 2012, a special court acquitted Mr. Shinde of all charges which was challenged by the State in the HC.

The High Court, however, found no merit in the State's appeal.

“In the instant case, the allegation is acceptance of a bribe of Rs 100 in the year 2007. The amount appears to be too small in the year 2007 and more so, in the year 2023 when the appeal is being heard against the acquittal,” the Bench said in its order.