Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Jan 24: In Karnataka government offices, if an officer asks for one cup of tea with a spoon of sugar, it could mean he is asking for Rs 10,000.

In spite of stringent mechanisms to stop bribery, corruption still thrives in government offices.

Justice B A Patil, who was hearing a writ petition filed by a Senior Sub-Registrar of Tumakuru, decoded the code words when K Satish, the counsel of the petitioner, was arguing the case.

“I know how things work in the offices of sub-registrars wherein the documents like sale deed, gift deed, will, release deed, lease deed, etc., are registered,” the judge said and narrated how a sub-registrar used ‘code words’ to indicate bribe to be received from the public who went to register their documents.

Patil said that the sub registrar would ask for a cup of tea in exchange of work. He would tell the person how many spoons of sugar he needs in the tea. The public, who are impressed that the sub registrar is getting work done in exchange of a tea, would receive a shock of their life when the tea-seller would ask for a hefty amount.

The sub registrar and the petty shop owner worked in close nexus. The spoons of sugar indicated bribe. One spoon meant Rs 10,000. The spoons increased depending on the cost of property registered.

Though Patil’s narration made people in the courtroom laugh, the bitter truth behind the sweet sugar continues to burn holes in a common man’s pocket.