By IANS
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court has refused to suspend the sentence of a Delhi Police sub-inspector, convicted for taking a bribe, and release him on bail, saying police officials are custodians of law and they should not indulge in corrupt practices.
While dismissing the application of the sub-inspector, Justice S.N. Dhingra said, “Taking bribe by a policeman to hush up a criminal case cannot be considered a trivial offence.
“The devil of corruption seems to have made deep inroads in the criminal justice system at the initial level,” observed the court.
Bhanu Pratap Singh, caught red-handed by the police with the bribe money, had filed a petition challenging his conviction and sought direction for his release on bail pending hearing of the case by the high court.
“I do not think he deserved leniency and should be enlarged on bail,” the judge observed.
A district court had convicted Singh and sentenced him to three years in jail for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs.5,000 to close a criminal case registered against one Pramod Sharma in 2000.
The trial court convicted Singh for accepting the bribe from Sharma during his tenure with the Central District Crime Cell in Daryaganj in central Delhi.
Singh was the investigating officer of a case and accepted the bribe for closing the case registered with the Karol Bagh police station in 1998.
The trial court convicted Singh under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act for bribery and misuse of official position.
Singh is in Tihar Jail after his conviction in October this year.