Doda 18 September :- In a significant verdict, the Anti-Corruption Court in Doda, presided over by Judge Archana Charak, has convicted two engineers from the Public Works Department (R&B) for demanding and accepting a bribe.
The convicted officials, Syed Ikhlaq Hussain Peer, an Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE), and Raja Faisal, a Junior Engineer (JE), were both posted in the West Sub-Division of Doda at the time of the crime in 2011.
The case originated from a contractor’s complaint stating that after he had completed blacktopping work on the Doda-Ganeka road and received 75% of his payment, the two officers demanded an illegal gratification of ₹45,000 to release the remaining funds. Following the complaint, a trap was set by the vigilance team, during which JE Raja Faisal was caught red-handed accepting the bribe money in the presence of independent witnesses.
His arrest led to the subsequent implication of AEE Syed Ikhlaq Hussain Peer. After a full trial, the court sentenced each convict to rigorous imprisonment for one year and a fine of ₹10,000 under each of the three charges—criminal conspiracy, bribery, and corruption—with the sentences to run concurrently.
