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  Metros   Mumbai  15 Mar 2017  ACB rejects head constable’s bribery charges

ACB rejects head constable’s bribery charges

THE ASIAN AGE.
Published : Mar 15, 2017, 4:36 am IST
Updated : Mar 15, 2017, 9:36 pm IST

The ACB told the court that its investigation was based on the video evidence provided by the constable.

Bombay High Court (Photo: PTI/File)
 Bombay High Court (Photo: PTI/File)

Mumbai: The state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has informed the Bombay high court that its investigations into allegations of corruption in the traffic police department as levelled by a police head constable, Sunil Toke, “does not have any substance”. The ACB told the court that its investigation was based on the video evidence provided by the constable as well as the statements of 29 witnesses, all of which did not prove the allegations. According to the ACB, while some of the videos were downloaded from social media sites, a few others showed alleged acts of corruption by Ahmedabad traffic police.

A division bench of Justices Ranjit More and Revati Mohite Dere was hearing the petition filed by Mr Toke wherein he had alleged that the traffic police department took bribes from heavy vehicles which ply illegally and also from illegal taxis and rickshaws. The petition also alleged that the department collected bribes from illegal parking, drunken drivers and even from malls, hotels and construction sites and submitted video evidence to support his allegations. He had prayed for a departmental inquiry and filing of FIR against errant officers.

After hearing the petition in January the court had asked the ACB to probe the allegations and on Tuesday, additional public prosecutor Jayesh Yagnik representing the ACB submitted the ACB inquiry report. The report submitted in a sealed envelope informed the court that the agency under the supervision of Additional Director General of ACB conducted investigations, examined 29 witnesses and went through all the audio and video recordings and concluded that the allegations had no substance. “The allegations are baseless. The recordings do not have audio and there is no video of bribe money exchanging hands as alleged. The petitioner has put together videos from YouTube and some are of the Gujarat traffic police,” said Mr Yagnik contending that the videos were fake.Datta Mane, counsel for Mr Toke, told the court that the authorities are trying to scuttle the investigations and the same was evident from the evidence.

Tags: bombay high court