The Supreme Court has acquitted a Patwari, since deceased, in a Prevention of Corruption Act bribe-trap case, holding that proof of both the demand and the acceptance of illegal gratification is a sine qua non for conviction under Sections 7 and 13 of the Act. With the complainant having died before deposing and the shadow witness turning hostile, no witness saw the demand or the handing-over of the money, and the recovery of tainted currency alone could not sustain the conviction.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma of the Delhi High Court recused herself from hearing a plea by Karti P. Chidambaram concerning bribery allegations linked to Diageo Scotland. The petition relates to a CBI corruption FIR accusing him of involvement in alleged payments made to influence government decisions in favour of the company.
