State's own Bhopal case: Conviction after 22 yrs

The District and Sessions and Special Court, Mysore, found  Venkataramaiah then Excise SI of T Narasipura guilty of the offence and sentenced him to three years of simple imprisonment. The court also slapped a fine of Rs 5,000 or to undergo simple imprisonment for three months in default.

The Mysore Lokayukta police had registered a case against Venkataramaiah on September 24, 1987. The police filed a charge sheet against him after the investigation. The court convicted him under the Prevention of Corruption of Act 1988 on Tuesday.

On the delay of more than two decades in convicting a government official, Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde told Deccan Herald: “This can be compared to the verdict in Bhopal gas tragedy. It takes at least 10 years in Karnataka to convict a government official under Prevention of Corruption Act.”

In case of Venkataramaiah, he can always challenge the decision in any higher courts. If he challenges it in the Supreme Court, it will take around 30 years for the final verdict. God only knows about Venkataramaiah’s status by then. That is the system in our country, he elaborated.

Witnesses turn hostile whenever the hearing of a case takes much time. The conviction rate will surely go up to 70 per cent if the suspects are convicted within six months. It takes nearly two years for the Lokayukta police to obtain sanction from a competent authority (concerned government department) to proceed legal action against a particular officer. It takes some more time to file a charge sheet, as rules require certain questions to be answered, he explained.