Malegaon civic chief, two aides held by ACB over alleged 4% bribe demand on Rs 20 lakh bills

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Nashik has arrested Malegaon Municipal Corporation Commissioner Ravindra Jadhav, his personal assistant Nilesh Patil and accountant Harish Dimbar. All three are accused of demanding a 4 per cent bribe in return for clearing bills worth Rs 20 lakh. The ACB says they were caught red-handed. The action has caused a stir across the state and in administrative circles.

What is being discussed most is that Jadhav was due to retire on October 31. He was handcuffed on the very brink of retirement.

According to the information available, development work in the Malegaon Municipal Corporation area, including grass cutting in a garden and repair of a water pipeline, had been completed. The two separate works were held by the same contractor. Bills totalling Rs 20 lakh for the two works were to be cleared by the corporation. It is alleged that a 4 per cent bribe was demanded to pass the bills and move the file forward.

The contractor was not willing to pay the bribe. Distressed, he filed a formal complaint directly with the ACB in Nashik.

Taking the complaint seriously, the Nashik ACB team first verified it. A trap was then laid, and Jadhav, Patil and Dimbar were caught red-handed accepting or demanding the bribe. After the action, all three were immediately brought to the ACB's main office in Nashik for further legal questioning.

ACB Superintendent of Police Bharat Tangde confirmed the action. According to him, the ACB had received a complaint that a bribe was being demanded to pay the contractor's bills. After verification, the three, including the municipal commissioner, were arrested. A case has been registered against all three under Sections 7 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. Further investigation is under way.

For the past few days, there have been continuous reports of officers and employees of various government departments in Nashik district and North Maharashtra falling into ACB traps. However, the arrest of the commissioner, the head of a municipal corporation, in a bribery case is being seen as an extremely serious incident. The allegations against a senior officer just before retirement have raised big questions about the corporation's functioning and transparency. The strict action has caused unease among officers facing bribery allegations.