CHENNAI: A Special CBI Court in Chennai has sentenced two individuals, including a former senior official of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), to four years’ rigorous imprisonment and imposed fines totaling Rs. 40,000 in a high-profile bribery case.
The XIVth Special Additional Court for CBI cases convicted H. Bhima Simha Hindupur, then Project Director of NHAI’s Project Implementation Unit (PIU) in Villupuram, Tamil Nadu, and J. Saravanan, his personal assistant, for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs. 2 lakh in 2017. The court ruled the sentence after finding both guilty of corruption charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The CBI registered the case on October 27, 2017, following a written complaint alleging Bhima Simha demanded the bribe to grant permission for operating 'Sara Restaurant, located on leased land adjacent to a national highway in Villupuram. The complainant claimed Bhima Simha instructed him to submit land documents to Saravanan, who facilitated the illicit demand through a contractor-linked consultancy firm, MM Consultants of Erode.
In a meticulously planned operation, the CBI apprehended both accused red-handed while accepting the bribe. Investigations revealed Bhima Simha, who was on deputation to NHAI from Andhra Pradesh’s Roads & Buildings Department (2013–2017), abused his authority to extort the payment. Saravanan, hired via a contractor, acted as an intermediary in the illegal transaction.
After filing a charge sheet on June 7, 2019, the CBI presented evidence during the trial, culminating in the verdict.