Sessions court judge booked on graft charge in Hyderabad

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], Apr. 14 (ANI): A Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge and two advocates were arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Telangana on the charge of accepting Rs 7.5 lakh bribe for granting bail.

The Hyderabad High Court has ordered the ACB to register a case of bribery under PC Act 1988 against the Sessions Judge, S Radhakrishna Murthy.

Advocate T Shriranga Rao, in his complaint to the High Court, said, "Murthy has been indulging in corrupt practices in granting bails and passing judgments, etc, and I an NDPS Act case (excise case) registered against one M Dattu, student, the 1 Addl. Metropolitan Sessions Judge has colluded, demanded and accepted the bribe of Rs. 7.5 lakhs through advocates for granting bails."

In this regard, after an internal enquiry by the Hyderabad's Metropolitan Sessions Judge, the High Court referred the matter to the ACB for enquiry. After that, the high court directed the ACB in Telangana to register a case against Murthy to investigate into the allegations of corruptions.

Accordingly, the ACB registered a case of Criminal Misconduct against Murthy and two advocates namely K Srinivas Rao and G Sathish Kumar under the provisions of prevention of corruption act, 1988 on 11 April 2018 and took up the investigation.

The Principal special judge for SPE and ACB cases has issued search warrants.

During the searches, the officials seized incriminating material including the cell phones used by the accused of communication among the team. The investigation revealed that on behalf of Murthy, and the two advocates K Srinivas Rao and G Sathish Kumar have demanded the bribe amount and accepted in two instalments on 31 October 2017 for granting the bail to one person M Dattu, accordingly after receipt of bribe amount of Rs. 7.5 lakhs Murthy has granted bail to him on 1 November 2017.

It is also revealed that Dattu's mother sold her gold jewellery to secure the huge bribe of Rs. 7.5 lakhs to get bail to her son, who is studying M. Tech.

Murthy, along with Rao and Kumar were arrested and being produced before the Principal Special Judge for SPE and ACB cases in Hyderabad.

The case is under investigation. (ANI)