Demand and Acceptance of Bribe Must Be Proved; Mere Recovery Insufficient, Acquittal of Revenue Officer Over ₹5,000 Bribe Upheld: Calcutta High Court

The Calcutta High Court, Circuit Bench at Port Blair, has reiterated a settled principle of corruption law that proof of both demand and acceptance of illegal gratification is mandatory for conviction under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The Court dismissed the appeal filed by the State and upheld the acquittal of a Revenue Officer accused of accepting a bribe of ₹5,000 for processing a land mutation application. The judgment…