ACB chargesheets ex-Tehsildar, private individual in ₹1 lakh bribery case

SRINAGAR (KIMS) — The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Jammu and Kashmir has filed a chargesheet against former Tehsildar of Qaziabad, Kralgund, Ghulam Rasool Bhat, and a private individual, Rafi Ahmad Lone, in connection with a ₹1 lakh bribery trap case.

According to the ACB, the chargesheet was presented before the Court of the Special Judge, Anti-Corruption, Baramulla, in FIR No. 04/2025 after completion of the investigation and obtaining the requisite prosecution sanction from the competent authority.

The case was registered on the basis of a complaint alleging that the then Tehsildar had demanded a bribe for granting permission to cut walnut trees for commercial purposes. Following verification of the allegations, the ACB registered a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and launched an investigation.

The ACB said that during a trap conducted on June 20, 2025, the accused public servant was allegedly caught red-handed while demanding and accepting the remaining bribe amount of ₹50,000 at Kralgund in Handwara. The tainted money was recovered in accordance with legal procedures.

Both the accused were arrested in connection with the case and were later released on bail by the court.

With the filing of the chargesheet, the case will now proceed before the Special Judge, Anti-Corruption, Baramulla, for judicial determination, the ACB said. — (KIMS)