Agri ministry official arrested while obtaining bribe of ₹1 lakh
Hindustan TimesMUMBAI: The Mumbai unit of the Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested a senior official of the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, for allegedly demanding and obtaining a bribe of ₹1 lakh for issuance of an AGMARK license. CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch began its investigation on the receipt of a complaint from a Thane-based businessman on August 30 against the two officials - senior marketing officer Vishal Talwadkar and marketing officer Guljar Sonawane, both posted at Nashik, alleging that they had demanded ₹11 lakh for the issuance of an AGMARK license, agency sources said. The verification of the allegations mentioned in the complaint allegedly revealed that Talwadkar, after negotiation, agreed to accept a bribe of ₹1 lakh from the complainant, a CBI source said. “This established the demand by accused Talwadkar and the agreement between the two accused officials for demanding and accepting the undue advantage,” a CBI source said. The contents of the complaint and the verification conducted in the presence of ‘panch’ witnesses had prima-facie allegedly disclosed commission of offences punishable under section 61 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 that refers to the demand of an undue advantage by any public servant, against the two accused officials, CBI sources said.