Vellore: Sub-Registrar, document writer get 3 years in prison for accepting bribes

CHENNAI: A Sub-Registrar and a private document writer have been convicted and sentenced to three years of simple imprisonment for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh to release a hereditary settlement deed.

The court pronounced the verdict on Thursday in the case registered by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), Vellore.

According to the complaint filed by Sasikumar, a resident of Vellore, he had applied at the Sub-Registrar office in Katpadi, Vellore, for the release of his ancestral settlement deed. The then Sub-Registrar, Devarajan, demanded a bribe of Rs 1 lakh to process the application and issue the document.

Sasikumar approached the DVAC, Vellore unit, which registered a case. A trap was executed on October 11, 2019. Thiruchandramohan, a private document writer, was caught red-handed along with Devarajan. Both were arrested on the spot.

The case was tried before the District Principal and Sessions Court, Vellore, which found both guilty and sentenced them to three years of imprisonment each, along with a fine of Rs 25,000 per person.