Demanding Bribe Erodes Public Faith In Govt: P&H High Court Denies Pre-Arrest Bail To Officer Accused Of Asking ₹1K For Signing File

Observing that "the act of coercing an ordinary citizen to pay a bribe for availing a rightful service amounts to gross misconduct," the Punjab and Haryana High Court has refused anticipatory bail to a junior engineer accused of demanding a bribe of Rs. 1000 for signing a routine file.

The allegation against the government official, a junior engineer, was that he demanded Rs.1,000 to sign a file related to a routine electric connection transfer application.

Justice Manjari Nehru Kaul said that the allegation against the Government official "if proved erodes the faith of the common man in the fairness of Government institutions".

The Court observed that the demand for Rs. 1000 – however modest in quantum – is not to be seen in isolation, but must be viewed in light of the position held by the accused and the context of the demand.

"The act of coercing an ordinary citizen to pay a bribe for availing a rightful service amounts to gross misconduct," the judge added.

The anticipatory bail plea was filed under Section 482 of BNSS in case FIR No.16 dated 08.03.2025 under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The FIR was lodged following an online complaint launched with the Vigilance Bureau, Patiala Range, alleging that the petitioner, while discharging his duties as Junior Engineer (JE), demanded and accepted illegal gratification to perform a task that fell squarely within the ambit of his official responsibilities. 

The complainant, Justin Singh, sought to transfer electric motor connections, originally in the name of his deceased grandmother, to his father's name. Despite all requisite documents being submitted to the concerned office, the complainant was allegedly compelled to obtain a report from the petitioner.

It was further alleged in the FIR that the petitioner not only redirected the complainant to another JE to have the preliminary report written, but thereafter demanded a bribe of ₹1000 in exchange for signing off on the documents. 

After hearing the submissions, the Court found that Prima facie, the allegations against the petitioner are "serious and carry significant weight."

"The petitioner, being a Government official entrusted with public duty, allegedly abused his official position for personal gain by demanding a bribe to perform an administrative function – signing a file pertaining to a routine electric connection transfer application," added the bench.

The judge rejected the contention that the alleged audio recording of the incident is doctored.

"The preliminary investigation indicates that the recording has been considered alongside other corroborative evidence. The authenticity and evidentiary value of the recording will, of course, be subject to scrutiny during trial," opined the Court.

Considering the gravity of the offence, the nature of the material on record, and the position of the petitioner as a public servant, the Court refused to grant the relief.

Mr. Ashok K. Singla, Advocate for the petitioner.

Title: Jaswinder Singh v. State of Punjab

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