A CBI court recently sentenced two ex-income tax officials, Mahesh Sompura and Mukesh Raval, to three years in prison each for bribery, highlighting the rampant issue of corruption in India. Both were apprehended in August 2011 for accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000 to resolve a tax scrutiny case against a couple, despite initially demanding Rs 1.75 lakh. The court convicted them for conspiracy and breaching the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Special CBI Judge V V Parmar criticized the widespread nature of corruption in his judgment, noting that honest individuals are often overlooked and deemed naive by today’s standards. Furthermore, he emphasized that reducing the sentence would fail to uphold justice, arguing that it would weaken the judiciary’s credibility and public trust. The judge rejected the accused’s request for a lighter sentence due to their advanced age, insisting that leniency in this case would compromise the integrity of the legal system and send a negative message to society. Both convicts, now over 73, were also fined Rs 50,000 each.