Graft case: Thanjavur court awards 2 years RI for taluk office assistant

TIRUCHY: Thanjavur Chief Judicial Magistrate cum Special Court on Monday awarded two-year rigorous imprisonment to an office assistant of Papanasam taluk office for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 5,000 for issuing a valuation certificate. On December 3, 2013, D Rajavel, a resident from Udaiyarkoil near Papanasam approached the Papanasam taluk office for a valuation certificate for his agricultural land for availing a loan. However, the office assistant S Kalyanasundaram demanded a bribe of Rs 5,000 from Rajavel for processing and issuing the valuation certificate. Rajavel lodged a complaint with the Thanjavur DVAC, who caught Kalyanasundaram red-handed while accepting bribe on December 4, 2013 and was produced before the court. On Monday, judge D Shanmugapriya, who heard the case, awarded two years of rigorous imprisonment and fine of Rs 4,000 to Kalyanasundaram.