A few months ago, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested two people for allegedly offering a bribe of Rs2 lakh to an assistant police inspector in Sindhudurg district to evade arrest in a cheating case. After the bribe was offered, the inspector immediately registered a complaint with the ACB and a trap was laid to nab the two.
In another case this year, the ACB caught three men for allegedly offering a bribe of Rs50,000 to the sarpanch of Dahegaon (Rangari) village in Nagpur. They wanted an NOC for a power connection for their new office. The trap was set at a hotel in Sitabuldi, after the sarpanch lodged a complaint, and the accused were caught red-handed.
What is a reverse trap?
Such reverse trap cases, however, are rare, where those offering/giving bribe are caught red-handed based on complaint from the government official concerned. While the ACB has recorded more than 3,000 trap cases in the last five years, where government officials have been arrested for accepting bribe, the number of cases where those giving bribe have been arrested in five years has been 16.
In a reverse trap, the person giving bribe is arrested based on a complaint from the officer concerned under section 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (whoever abets any offence punishable under section 7 or section 11 [taking gratification to influence public servant] whether or not that offence is committed in consequence of that abetment, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term not less than six months, which may extend to five years, and shall also be liable to fine).
Why are such cases rare?
The department attributes it to a dearth in honest officers across government agencies. This is coupled with the lackadaisical attitude of government servants to approach the ACB and register a complaint.
A senior ACB officer said, "The honest ones just refuse to take the bribe and do not take the next step of filing a complaint against the person. One of the reasons is lack of awareness among many of them that giving bribe is as serious a crime as accepting it. Officers fear their reputation will be at stake if they take the matter up, or they are afraid they will be under pressure from their seniors."
How is ACB trying to address it?
Director general of ACB Praveen Dixit said, "We have been informing government departments to contact us if somebody approaches them with a bribe. That apart, the trend only puts a question mark on the integrity of officers. If there are more who complain about people offering bribe, it will go a long way in controlling corruption. Our effort is to create awareness at every level."
Lawyerspeak
Officers also feel that in any act of corruption, the giver tries to ensure it is a win-win. City lawyer Abha Singh said, "In the income tax department, if a person has to pay tax of Rs10 lakh, s/he bribes an I-T officer Rs2 lakh and pays Rs2 lakh as tax. So, it's a win-win — the person saves Rs6 lakh and the officer makes an easy Rs2 lakh. The loser is the common man. The situation is the same even in the BMC or customs department. Reverse complaints get registered when, most of the times, the deal doesn't work and, in rare cases, when the officer is honest."
Officerspeak
Elaborating on the question of honesty and integrity, another senior officer from ACB said, "Greed always overtakes morals, principles, integrity, etc. Most officers can be lured with easy money and it is with this knowledge that bribes are offered. People usually do research on the officer before offering him/her bribe and, if somebody has a clean reputation, they do not dare offer him/her bribe."
That apart, in most cases, be it in police, revenue or BMC, the common man is at the receiving end. "As government officials are in a more powerful position, in most cases, they demand bribe to clear files or speed things up. In cases where people lure officers with money, the people involved are rich and powerful and, even if the officer refuses to take the money, s/he does not file a complaint due to fear," said the officer.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}