In a significant turn of events, the Orissa High Court acquitted Dr. Pradeepta Kumar Praharaj, who was convicted in a bribery case and sentenced to six months in jail by a special vigilance court about 16 years ago.
The court's decision, delivered by Justice S K Sahoo, comes after careful consideration of the evidence and reasoning presented in the case.
The bribery case revolved around allegations that Dr. Praharaj, who was then serving as an assistant surgeon at a government hospital in Khatiguda, Nabarangpur district, had accepted Rs 300 as an illegal gratification from a patient. The state Vigilance registered the case on September 14, 1998, after seizing the alleged bribe amount from Dr. Praharaj's office.
After a lengthy trial, the Special Judge (Vigilance), Berhampur, found Dr. Praharaj guilty of both demanding and accepting the bribe. He was sentenced to six months of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 1,000 on March 22, 2007. Dr. Praharaj, however, chose to appeal against this verdict, filing a criminal appeal in the Orissa High Court that same year. Throughout the legal proceedings, he had been out on bail.
Justice S K Sahoo, in his acquittal order issued on Monday, highlighted the lack of sufficient, cogent, and reliable evidence to establish the guilt of Dr. Praharaj. The judge noted that the trial court's reasoning was faulty and that crucial evidence in favour of the appellant had been overlooked. The High Court's order emphasized the importance of avoiding a one-sided approach in favour of the prosecution.
The judge stated, "In the circumstances since the guilt of the appellant has not been established beyond all reasonable doubt, I am constrained to give the benefit of the doubt to the appellant. The law is well settled that mere recovery of the bribe amount from the accused is not sufficient to fasten guilt, in the absence of any evidence with regard to demand and acceptance of the amount as illegal gratification."
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