CBI Court Hands 4-Year Jail Term to Former NHAI Project Director and Aide in ₹2 Lakh Bribery Case
(Judicial Quest News Network)
Chennai, April 16: In an important verdict, the Hon’ble XIV Special Additional Court for CBI Cases in Chennai has sentenced two individuals — including a former Project Director of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) — to four years of Rigorous Imprisonment in a bribery case involving ₹2 lakh. The court also imposed a total fine of ₹40,000 on the convicts.
The convicted officials are Mr. H. Bhima Simha Hindupur, then Project Director at NHAI’s Project Implementation Unit in Villupuram, and Mr.J. Saravanan, his Personal Assistant, who was appointed through a contractor.
The case was registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on October 27, 2017, following a written complaint alleging that Simha had demanded a bribe of ₹2 lakh in exchange for granting access permission to run a restaurant along the National Highway in Villupuram.
According to the investigation, the complainant had leased land adjacent to the highway to operate “Sara Restaurant.” For securing necessary access permissions, the complainant was instructed by the accused to hand over land documents to Saravanan and contact a consultant for proposal preparation.
CBI laid a trap and caught both accused red-handed while demanding and accepting the bribe. After a detailed investigation, a charge sheet was filed on June 7, 2019.
The court found both individuals guilty and sentenced them to four years’ rigorous imprisonment, reinforcing a strong message against corruption in public service.
