Took Rs 100 Bribe 31 Years Ago, Former Railway Clerk to Spend One Year in Jail After High Court Upholds Conviction:

The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday upheld the conviction of former railway parcel clerk Kali Shankar Dhobi in a 31-year-old bribery case involving a Rs 100 bribe at Ranchi's Hatia Railway Station.

The case dates back to 1995, when Dhobi was working as a parcel clerk at Hatia railway station. The complainant, Nirmal Kumar Begani, wanted to send his motorcycle from Hatia to Samastipur in Bihar. Dhobi was accused of demanding Rs 100 from him to book the motorcycle.

Later, Begani told the CBI. The CBI laid a trap after confirming the complaint. Dhobi was allegedly caught red-handed while accepting a Rs 100 bribe on April 27, 1995.

A case was registered under Prevention of Corruption Act and later the matter was heard by a special court. The special court convicted Dhobi after a trial that lasted nearly nine years in 2004.

The trial court sentenced him to one year in prison and imposed a fine of Rs 4,000 under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. He was also sentenced to one-and-a-half years in prison and fined Rs 6,000 under Section 13(2) of the Act. Both sentences were ordered to run concurrently.

Dhobi challenged the conviction in the Jharkhand High Court. The appeal remained pending for more than two decades, making the entire case nearly 31 years old.

The case was heard by Justice Pradeep Kumar Srivastava. After hearing both sides, the High Court upheld Dhobi's conviction but reduced his jail term.

The court reduced his sentence under Section 7 from one year to six months. His sentence under Section 13(2) was reduced from one-and-a-half years to one year. Since both sentences will run concurrently, he will serve a maximum of one year in prison.

While reducing the sentence, the High Court considered the long delay in the case, Dhobi's advanced age and his ill health. The court was also informed that he had no previous criminal record and had already lost his railway job following his conviction.

Despite these circumstances, the High Court did not overturn his conviction. It also cancelled his bail and directed him to surrender within two months.

Dhobi, now 75, will therefore have to serve the reduced jail term as ordered by the High Court.