Consumer forum president acquitted of graft charges
A district consumer forum president, caught by the Anti-Corruption Bureau in 2004, was acquitted of bribery charges last week for want of evidence.
Shrikant kumbhar (62), president of district consumer forum, was arrested allegedly while accepting a bribe of Rs 5,000 from a consumer.
Kumbhar was suspended soon after his arrest.
According to complainant Rajesh Bindran, Kumbhar had demanded money to expedite his case against a local builder. In 2004, Bindran had approached the forum against a builder for shoddy construction of his new apartment in the city. “Kumbhar asked me a bribe of Rs. 25,000 to expedite the case. He made such demands at least five times before the police arrested him,” Bindhran said in his testimony.
Finally relenting to his demands, Bindran allegedly went to Kumbhar’s residence on December 1, 2004 to pay the first installment of Rs. 5,000. The Anti Corruption Bureau sleuths had also accompanied Bindran to Kumbhar’s residence.
However, when the case reached the trial stage, six witnesses on whose testimony the prosecution had relied on backtracked on their statements.
“There were several inconsistencies. Both the investigating officer and Panch witnesses gave different versions in the court,” said defence lawyer Manohar Kandalkar.
The court acquitted Kumbhar for lack of evidence.
Kumbhar has now moved the Maharahstra Administrative Tribunal against his suspension order.