The Dharwad bench of Karnataka High Court has sentenced a tahsildar to five years jail for taking a bribe for khata transfer. The court has also awarded three years jail to a Revenue department employee for aiding and abetting the crime.

In 2010, Shyamanna Madar of Hanumasagar in Kushtagi taluk in Raichur had filed an application before the then tahsildar of Kushtagi Maranna for the transfer of the khata of a property.

The tahsildar had demanded a bribe of Rs 10,000 for the same and had told the applicant to give the bribe amount to his assistant Veeresh Mangalore.

The applicant had lodged a Lokayukta complaint in this regard. The Lokayukta police had laid a trap and caught the assistant red-handed while accepting the bribe money.

The Lokayukta police had filed a charge sheet in the case in Koppal court. The court, however, discharged the accused for want of evidence. The Lokayukta police had filed a criminal appeal at Dharwad bench of High Court challenging the order of the lower court.

Justice S Satyanarayana, who heard the appeal, found tahsildar Maranna guilty under Sections 7 and 13(2) of Prevention of Corruption Act and sentenced the official to five years jail and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000.

The court also found assistant Veeresh guilty under Section 8 of PCA and awarded him three-year jail term and imposed a fine of Rs 5,000. Mallikarjuna Swamy Hiremath had represented Lokayukta police in the case.