Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 15 A Vigilance court here on Thursday sentenced a former deputy controller of the Legal Metrology Department to three years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh in a bribery case.
Vigilance Court Judge Manoj A found Ajith Kumar B S (58), a native of Poovachal here, guilty of accepting a bribe of Rs 8,000 from a fuel station owner for completing the annual stamping procedure at a fuel station in Akkulam, officials said.
According to the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB), the complainant, a native of Muttathara, had submitted an application in 2022 at the office of the Deputy Controller of Legal Metrology in Pattom for the annual stamping of equipment at his fuel station in Akkulam.
Ajith Kumar, who was then the deputy controller, allegedly demanded Rs 16,000 to complete the stamping procedure and issue the certificate.
The Thiruvananthapuram Vigilance Unit caught him red-handed while accepting the first instalment of Rs 8,000, the VACB said.
Former Deputy Superintendent of Police R Vinod Kumar of the Thiruvananthapuram Vigilance Unit investigated the case, while Public Prosecutor Veena Satheesan appeared for the VACB.
