New Delhi, Aug 18 (IANS): The CBI arrested a special metropolitan magistrate of the MCD here on Tuesday for taking a bribe from a shop owner for providing him relief from a challan issued by the civic body.
R.P.Bhatia, special magistrate (Central Zone), was caught red-handed by a team of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sleuths while taking Rs.25,000 as bribe.
He has been booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The shop owner had been challaned during the course of an inspection of the shop located in south Delhi's Lajpat Nagar on August 10.
"The shop owner was directed to appear in the court where Bhatia demanded illegal gratification of Rs.60,000 from him for settling the challan issued by the municipal corporation," a CBI official said.
"The bribe was reduced to Rs.25,000 during negotiations," he added.