Govt lawyer caught taking Rs 25,000 bribe on court premises in Palghar district

A 47-year-old government lawyer was caught red-handed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday while allegedly accepting a Rs 25,000 bribe on court premises in Maharashtra's Palghar district, an official release said.

The accused has been identified as Bhupesh Ajit Purandare, a Class-2 officer serving as the Special Assistant Government Prosecutor at the Joint Civil Court (Higher Level) in Vasai.

According to the release by the Thane ACB, which has jurisdiction over the Palghar district, a formal complaint had been lodged against the prosecutor on May 20, following which verification procedures were initiated.

''During the verification operation, it was established that Purandare demanded a bribe of Rs 25,000 to file a favourable statement on an application concerning the return of property,'' ACB said.

The anti-graft agency laid a trap on Thursday and caught Purandare red-handed at 12.30 pm while accepting the bribe amount from the complainant ''inside the Government Prosecutor's office located on the ground floor of the Vasai court building'', it said.

The accused has been arrested under the Prevention of Corruption Act, it added.

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