Ranjit Mahanti
RAJENDRA Mohan Sharma, who happens to be a panel advocate in Aurangabad High Court, has been arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Aurangabad wing for demanding and accepting bribe of Rs. 1000. Sharma was asking the bribe from a widow who was seeking compassion appointment after the death of her husband.
Sanjay Baviskar, the Superintendent of Police ACB, Aurangabad told ABI that the complainant had applied to the Secretary, Legal Services Sub-Committee and High Court Aurangabad for the compassion appointment. The Legal Services Sub-Committee appointed Rajendra Sharma to look into the legal matters for the widow. As Sharma is the Panel advocate in High Court he was asked to do the work free of cost, but he demanded a bribe of Rs. 3000 from the widow which came down to Rs. 1000 after a bargain along with a Rs. 250 stamp duty. Sharma asked to bring the money to the High Court on April 15.
The complainant had no intentions of fulfilling Sharma’s demand so she approached ACB for help and lodged a complaint against him. After verifying the complaint the ACB officials set a trap to arrest Sharma and nabbed him on April 15, around 6pm near Ajmera complex, N3-CIDCO, opposite Tulsi Xerox shop, near Aurangabad high court while accepting a bribe of Rs. 1000.
49-year-old Sharma is a resident of 168-Martand, Sharda colony, Jalana Road, Aurangabad. Deputy Superintendent of Police, Sainath Thombre is further investigating the matter.