Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Feb 7: The third additional district and sessions court, which also happens to be the Lokayukta special court, which heard a case of acceptance of bribe, found two persons guilty. One of the people found guilty in the case happens to be the village accountant, while the other is a member of general public.

N Honnappa (33), who used to function as village accountant for Navoor gram panchayat in Bantwal taluk, and Victor Pinto (76), an individual, were found guilty.

Honnappa was accused of accepting bribe of Rs 3,000 from Sunita D'Souza to change the Khata of her land on October 31, 2011. Victor had acted as an abettor for this transaction. The then Lokayukta inspector,Uday Nayak, had raided the spot and caught the accused red-handed.

Judge of the court, B Muraleedhar Pai, who conducted trail, handed down a year of imprisonment to village accountant, S Honappa, and imposed fine of Rs 10,000 on him. Considering that Victor Pinto is not an official, and also that he is 76 years old and is suffering from ill health, he was given nine days simple imprisonment along with fine of Rs 5,000. In case of failure to pay fine, both will have to spend additional three months inside jail.

Special public prosecutor, K S N Rajesh, had appeared on behalf of the prosecution in the case.