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SIC clerk caught taking bribe

LUCKNOW: This is one incident that brings the state of affairs in the Uttar Pradesh State Information Commission to fore.

While the SIC is supposed to be the institution which the common person would approach for redressal of complaint against corrupt government servants, a clerk of the commission was nabbed for taking bribe. The Anti-Corruption Organisation (ACO) had laid a trap after getting repeated complaints against the clerk.

One Anil Kumar of Khadimpur in Sultanpur was waging a battle against corrupt land record personnel of his district. He has a land dispute in his native place.

To get the relevant information in this regard, he had submitted an application with the SDM concerned— who was also the Public Information Officer for the district administration for such matters— under the Right to Information Act, 2005.

When the SDM did not furnish the information within the stipulated period, Anil approached the SIC about five months back.

However, Anil’s ordeal did not end there. He faced harassment in the commission. A clerk in the commission, Mohammad Shabir, made him run from the pillar to the post. Left with no option, Anil approached the ACO which has its office in the same building—Indira Bhawan.

On Thursday, an ACO team led by ASP Rashmi Srivastava laid a trap. Mohammad Shabir had demanded Rs 500 from Anil. Anil reached SIC and was giving the money to Shabir when the cops, present in plain-clothes, nabbed him.

There were complaints against Shabir from other RTI applicants too but this was the first time that ACO was approached by somebody.

SIC clerk caught taking bribe-Lucknow-Cities-The Times of India