SURAT: The special ACB judge in Surat rejected the anticipatory bail plea of food safety officer Mohammad Zuber Gulam Mustafa Shaikh (58) in connection with a complaint lodged against him under various sections of Prevention and Corruption Act, 1988, as amended Act 2018, on Thursday.
According to the case, Surat ACB's police inspector KJ Choudhary has lodged a complaint against the accused on November 13, 2020. As per the complaint, the accused officer is having in-proportionate property of Rs 42,44,841 and the investigation of the offence is continued since October, 2015, after inquiry was started in respect of pseudonymous application and during the inquiry, it found that the accused officer is having in-proportionate property. During search, the house of the applicant was also taken and goods worth Rs 6,82,100 were found in the house of the accused.
Accused is senior food safety officer (Class-II) and in the government service since 1991. He has been posted at Bhuj since 2017.
"Accused officer has not got any memo or notice from the department. No departmental inquiry has been initiated with the applicant and the record of the applicant remains clear. The officer has also performed his duty with the state's chief minister and he is also appreciated by the department. He has criminal antecedent. After the delay of four years, offence against the applicant is registered and the applicant has given satisfactory explanation as regard in-proportionate property," the advocate of the accused argued in the court.
Public prosecutor DV Dave argued that the accused is the senior food safety office and in the year 2015, there is one application against the him as regard demand of bribe and hence, department has started inquiry against the applicant and during inquiry, it was found that during the service of check period, he is having in-proportionate property of Rs 42,44,841 and for that the accused could not give satisfactory explanation. Therefore, ACB has registered the offence on the basis of complaint after due inquiry and the police interrogation of the accused officer is necessary."
"The accused is a government officer and if he is released on bail, there is a possibility of tempering and hampering with the witnesses, even granting this application conveys a wrong message to the society and therefore, the plea of the accused does not deserve to be allowed," court observed.