Has the CBI Court Imprisoned a Food Corporation Manager for Bribery?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Former Food Corporation manager sentenced to 18 months for bribery.
- Conviction under the Prevention of Corruption Act signifies the seriousness of corruption.
- Courageous action by the complainant led to the investigation.
- CBI continues to pursue corruption cases vigorously.
- Public service integrity is vital for trust in government.
Patna, July 8 (NationPress) A Special CBI Court in Patna has sentenced a former Quality Control Manager of the Food Corporation of India to 18 months of Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) along with a fine of Rs 25,000 in connection with a bribery case.
Liyaqat Ali, who served as the Manager (Quality Control) at the Food Corporation of India in Buxar, was found guilty under the Prevention of Corruption Act for soliciting a bribe of Rs 7,200 to facilitate the release of a payment of Rs 4.49 lakh owed to a group of rice suppliers.
The case was registered by the CBI on May 13, 2010, and the agency submitted its chargesheet against Ali on September 15, 2010, following a thorough investigation.
The investigation revealed that the complainant, the President of the Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS) in District Buxar, had purchased paddy from local farmers, subsequently milling and depositing 26,798 tonnes of rice at the FCI Buxar. The total bill for this rice was Rs 4.49 lakh.
When the complainant approached the accused, Liyaqat Ali, to process the payment, he was met with a demand for a bribe of Rs 7,200.
Reluctant to comply, the complainant contacted the CBI, which led to a trap being set on May 13, 2010. Ali was caught in the act of demanding and accepting the bribe.
The CBI team successfully recovered the bribe amount from Ali, as confirmed by an official statement.
The Special Court acknowledged the validity of the charges brought forward by the CBI, resulting in Ali's conviction and sentencing.
In a related matter, the CBI has initiated action against an accountant of the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) for collecting bribes to process allowance bills for his colleagues, as reported on Tuesday.
Mukesh Ranjan Gupta, an Assistant Account Officer with the CGWB in Varanasi, was booked based on a complaint from a colleague who alleged that Gupta demanded a bribe of Rs 5,000 to clear his travel allowance bill.
According to the complainant, Chaturanan Trivedi, Gupta threatened him with an inquiry should he refuse to pay the bribe, leading Trivedi to reach out to the CBI on July 3. Trivedi, who works as an Assistant Driller (ADCM) in CGWB, reported that his travel allowance bill for January 2025 had been withheld by Gupta.