Vigilance team on Wednesday arrested a lekhpal based in Dehradun Tehsil, Vishambar Prasad Joshi on the charge of taking a bribe of Rs 30, 000 from a person from Dehradun in return of a permission to construct a room for a priest in a temple built on the land owned by the person at Chandrabani Choyla.
In his written complaint lodged with the vigilance department, Dehradun sector on April 2, the complainant had stated that he had constructed a temple on his land a few years ago and recently started construction of a room in the temple campus for the priest. He alleged that the lekhpal Vishambar Prasad Joshi had reached the temple some two weeks ago and ordered him to stop construction without seeking permission from various departments, including revenue, and forest. As per the complaint, the lekhpal warned that he would send an adverse report against the construction to senior officers and would also urge police to take action. Accordingly, the lekhpal had called police to stop the construction on March 28. However, police had not taken any action after the complainant had showed them relevant documents related to the ownership of the land and NOC collected from the forest department. The complainant said that as he had again approached the lekhpal for the same he had sought a bribe Rs one lakh. According to the complainant, his repeated plea to clear things had failed to cut ice with lekhpal Joshi who continued to insist on the payment of the amount he demanded. The complainant said that he had finally agreed and the bribery amount had been reduced to Rs 75,000. However, at the same time, he had approached SP Dehradun sector vigilance and registered a compliant over the same, he said.
Subsequently, a team was formed with two independent witnesses being included in it. As per a plan drafted to trap Joshi, the latter was caught red- handed while taking the bribe of Rs 30, 000 from the complainant at 2.25 pm outside Dehradun Collectorate gate on the road on Wednesday. A case under appropriate sections of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 was subsequently registered against the accused in Dehradun sector vigilance, police informed. Director vigilance department Ram Singh Meena announced reward of Rs 10, 000 to the team members for arresting the accused.