The Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta police have intensified their anti-corruption drive, arresting a stenographer posted in the court of the Additional Collector in Shivpuri while he was allegedly accepting a bribe from a farmer. The arrest was made inside the court premises, moments after the money changed hands.
The action follows clear directions from Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav to ensure swift and effective action on complaints related to bribery and corruption.
Bribe Sought to Correct Name in Ancestral Land Records
The accused, identified as Monu Sharma, was working as a stenographer in the Additional Collector’s court in Shivpuri. According to Lokayukta officials, he demanded money from Dhyanendra Singh Padariya, a farmer from Ranod tehsil, for correcting the farmer’s name in ancestral land records.
The farmer had submitted an application in the Additional Collector’s court for the correction. Instead of routine processing, the stenographer allegedly demanded a bribe of ₹20,000 to move the case forward.
Complaint, Verification, and Trap
Following the farmer’s written complaint dated December 9, the Lokayukta police conducted a verification exercise, which confirmed the demand. During the probe, it emerged that the stenographer had already collected ₹15,000 in earlier installments—₹5,000 before the complaint and ₹10,000 during subsequent negotiations.
A trap was then planned for the remaining ₹5,000.
Caught Red-Handed Inside the Courtroom
As per the trap plan, the farmer was called to the Additional Collector’s court chamber in Shivpuri. When the stenographer accepted the remaining bribe amount, Lokayukta officers who were stationed nearby immediately intervened and caught him red-handed.
Officials confirmed that all procedural formalities were followed, and the accused was taken into custody for further legal action.
Another Arrest on the Same Day
In a parallel action, the Indore unit of the Lokayukta police arrested Jamsingh Amliyar, an accountant posted at the Assistant Commissioner’s office of the Tribal Welfare Department in Jhabua. He was caught accepting ₹14,500 from a secondary school teacher to settle a pending complaint, part of an alleged ₹50,000 demand later reduced to ₹20,000.
