Doc convicted for taking bribe to pass students

A special court of the CBI convicted Dr B V Navaneeth, professor and head of the department of the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) for demanding and accepting money to pass PG students in an examination.

The Principal Special Judge for CBI cases S S Sultanpuri found Navaneeth guilty of demanding and accepting bribe. He was sentenced to four years rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 10 lakh for the offences punishable under section 7 and section 13 (1) (d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The CBI team had conducted a surprise check on October 16, 2015 at the ESIC hospital in Rajajinagar following a tip-off and trapped Navaneeth while accepting cash of Rs 25,000 from a PG student of Microbiology Department, ESIC Bengaluru to show undue favour during examinations.

Later, the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Bureau raied his office and registered a complaint against him on October 20. It filed a chargesheet on June 14, 2016 and the court convicted him.

It was alleged that Navaneeth was demanding Rs 50,000 from each student for the internal evaluation/practicals. A few students shot a video of him demanding money and approached the CBI. The CBI decided to conduct a joint surprise check and caught him red-handed while accepting a bribe from a student.