Madurai, October 15: A government official who had taken Rs 800 bribe, and was booked for it, has been acquitted of the charges seventeen years later. According to a Times of India report, the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court has set aside his conviction by a trial court. Carrom Board as Bribe: Nashik Remand Home Official Demands Bribe, Lands in Prison.

In 2001, the accused Dharmaraj, was arrested by the vigilance and anti-corruption police for taking money to hand over registration documents. In 2009, a trial court pronounced him as guilty and sentenced him to undergo one-year of rigorous imprisonment. He moved to the High Court against the trial court's order.

The Counsel stated that to take revenge on the government official, a trap was set up, and was enacted by a very powerful lobby. The Court finally acquitted the official from all the charges as the prosecution could not establish that Rs 800 was received by the appellant/accused as a motive to do a favour to the complainant.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 15, 2018 03:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).