CBI court Special Judge Jagjit Singh has sentenced a head constable of the Haryana Police, Reetu Bala, to four years of rigorous imprisonment in a corruption case registered seven years ago by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The court has also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on the convict. Reetu was caught red-handed accepting a bribe of Rs 5,000 by the CBI on September 17, 2016. According to the prosecution, the CBI had booked Reetu under Sections 7 and 13 (1) (D) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, a day before the arrest, on the basis of a complaint by a person named Amarjit Singh.
Amarjit complained that Reetu had demanded a bribe of Rs 10,000 from him in exchange for settling a complaint filed against him and his wife by a girl. After the case was registered, a trap was laid to nab Reetu, and she was caught in the act.
While discussing the quantum of the sentence, public prosecutor Narender Singh argued that since the convict was a public servant, exemplary punishment should be meted out to her.
Reetu’s counsel, however, prayed for leniency, citing her responsibilities towards her family. After hearing the arguments, the court rejected her plea for leniency and stressed that an example should be made of her.
