28 years on, Coimbatore man moves court, reclaims Rs 500 seized in 1996 bribery case
He had given the money to the electricity department officials as part of the trap set by DVAC
Kathirmathion
CHENNAI: After waiting for 28 long years, a man from Vadavalli in Coimbatore reclaimed Rs 500 rupees that was seized by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) in a case dating back to 1996.
Kathirmathion, a resident of Vadavalli, had applied to change the name on his electricity connection in 1996. An official with the electricity department sought a bribe to get the work done.
Kathirmathion went to the anti-corruption sleuths, who set a trap to catch the corrupt official red-handed. As per the plan, Kathirmathion was asked to give chemical-laden currency to the official. While the latter was collecting the bribe amount, the vigilance sleuths nabbed him.
The case went on for five years and came to a conclusion in 2001. However, the Rs 500 that Kathirmathion paid as bribe – and was thus part of the legal proceedings – was not returned.
Most others would have let go off the money; after all, it is not a big amount. But not Kathirmathion, who filed a petition in the court.
After several years, he finally received a summons to appear in court, leading to the return of the money.
Expressing happiness over getting his money back, Kathirmathion said the authorities should formulate guidelines for the swift disbursement of such funds.