Supreme Court: Handover of bribe to intermediary not enough to prove public servant's guilt

The case involves an appeal by Bharat Raj Meena against convictions under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, for allegedly demanding and accepting illegal gratification through intermediaries. The core issue is whether the prosecution proved the demand and acceptance of bribes through intermediaries without direct evidence linking the appellant to the bribe money.

Petitioner: Bharat Raj Meena; Respondent: Central Bureau of Investigation; Bench: Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh, J.

• The Supreme Court dismissed the appeals against convictions under Sections 7 and 13(2) read with Sections 13(1)(d) and 13(1)(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
• The Court held that handover of bribe to intermediary is not sufficient to prove public servant's guilt without evidence of demand and acceptance.
• The Court affirmed the High Court's decision upholding convictions for transactions involving N.P. Gopi Kumar (PW-11) and the trap transaction with P.P. Nandakumar (PW-6).

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