Rs 5000 bribe, 7 years jail: Rare ACB trap case ends in prosecution; first judgment under amended PC Act

Andhra Pradesh: In 2019, Sathe Radhika was working as a Junior Assistant at the office of the District Coordinator of Hospital Services (DCHS), Kadapa District. She was entitled to an annual increment from February 2019 onwards.

In this regard, she submitted an application on February 19, 2019, and another on May 5, 2019. The letter was addressed to Dr Madabhushi Sesha Padmaja, who was then working as the District Coordinator of Hospital Services, Kadapa District.

The letter sought the sanction of the said annual increment. However, for sanctioning the annual increment, Dr Madabhushi demanded a bribe of Rs 5,000 from the complainant.

Unwilling to pay the bribe amount, Sathe Radhika lodged a complaint with the ACB officials, Kadapa, against the DCHS.

Acting on the complaint, ACB officials, Kadapa, registered a case against Dr Madabhushi under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (Amendment – 2018) in Crime No. 04/RCT-KDP/2019 and took up an investigation. She was caught red-handed while taking the bribe.

Unlike many other ACB cases that don’t see a conclusion, this case stands apart.

After trial of the case, on February 6, i.e., after six years, the Special Judge for the trial of ACB Cases, Kurnool, convicted the accused Dr Madabhushi and sentenced her to seven years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh.

It is pertinent to note that this is the first judgment delivered in the State of Andhra Pradesh after the amendment to the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, in 2018.

How did the case end up in prosecution?

When the accused was caught red-handed accepting a bribe of Rs 5,000, she was subsequently arrested. After completion of the investigation, the Kadapa ACB officials filed a chargesheet against her before the ACB Court, Kurnool, in 2022. It took three years for ACB to file the chargesheet post-investigation.

Subsequently, the court took cognisance of the same and the trial began. Charges were framed on March 10, 2023. Out of the 25 witnesses cited in the chargesheet, 21 were examined and two additional witnesses were subsequently summoned and examined on behalf of the prosecution. Further, 22 documents were marked as exhibits during the prosecution, apart from marking eight material objects.

The trial of the case was completed in 2025. Today, i.e February 6, after completion of the trial, the judge of the ACB Court, Kurnool, found the accused guilty and sentenced her to seven years of imprisonment with a fine.

Out of the fine amount of Rs 2 lakh, the court ordered that Rs 1 lakh be paid to the complainant as compensation under Section 357 Cr.P.C.

Where is the accused officer currently?

The accused officer retired from service on superannuation about 5 years ago. This is the first judgment delivered in the State of Andhra Pradesh after the amendment to the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, in the year 2018.

Speaking to NewsMeter, ACB DG Atul Singh said what is unique about this case: “Judge Srividya imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh, out of which Rs 1 lakh will go to the victim. This case is rare because it is the first judgment after the Prevention of Corruption Act was amended in 2018 (new sections were added). Among the sections that were amended, there was a clause on recovery to be made from the charged officer.”

Where to complain about govt officials taking bribes?

Citizens are requested to report any instances of bribery or corruption to the respective district ACB officers or through the ACB toll-free No 1064 or the ACB mobile No 94404 40057 or mail ACB at complaints-acb@ap.gov.in.