Jageshwar Prasad Awasthi has been acquitted by the Chhattisgarh High Court in a Rs 100 bribery case after 39 years. The court cited “lack of concrete evidence” and flaws in the prosecution’s case.
In a landmark judgment, the Chhattisgarh High Court has reaffirmed the principle that “justice may be delayed, but it is never denied,” by acquitting Jageshwar Prasad Awasthi, a former billing assistant at the Madhya Pradesh State Transport Corporation, in a bribery case that has lingered for almost four decades.
The case, which began in 1986, involved allegations that Mr Awasthi demanded a bribe of just Rs 100 from employee Ashok Kumar Verma to settle pending arrears. In 2004, a lower court had convicted him and sentenced him to one year in prison for allegedly demanding the bribe.
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However, Justice Bibhu Dutta Guru of the Chhattisgarh High Court has now fully overturned the conviction, citing a “lack of concrete evidence.”
The controversy originally arose when the then Lokayukta organized a trap using phenolphthalein-coated currency notes. Although Mr Awasthi was caught with the marked notes, the High Court found serious shortcomings in the prosecution’s case.
There was
“no independent witness to prove the demand for money”; the shadow witness admitted that he “neither heard the conversation nor saw the acceptance”; and the government witnesses were “20-25 yards away, making it impossible to observe the transaction.”
Additionally, it was not even clear whether the bribe consisted of a single Rs 100 note or two Rs 50 notes.
Mr Awasthi argued that at the time of the alleged incident, he “had no authority to pass bills” and only acquired such powers a month later.
The court agreed that
“mere recovery of tainted notes cannot establish guilt without proof of intent and demand.”
Citing several Supreme Court rulings, Justice Guru concluded that
“the trap had failed and the conviction was unsustainable.”
After nearly 39 years of litigation, Jageshwar Prasad Awasthi now stands fully cleared of all charges. The case is a rare example that highlights both the “flaws of prolonged litigation” and the enduring resilience of justice.
This verdict not only brings relief to Mr Awasthi but also serves as a reminder of the importance of “solid evidence” and procedural fairness in corruption cases.
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