Archive · 17 Sep 2026
Jharkhand High Court Upholds 1995 Bribery Conviction, Reduces Sentence
In 1995, a railway clerk was accused of taking Rs 100 to book a motorcycle.
The Central Bureau of Investigation caught him accepting the money.
A special court found him guilty in 2004.
The case then continued in the High Court for more than 20 years.
The High Court agreed that he was guilty.
However, the court reduced his punishment because he is 75, unwell, and the case took a very long time.
His sentences will be served at the same time, so he faces up to one year in prison.
He must surrender within two months.
The Jharkhand High Court upheld former parcel clerk Kali Shankar Dhobi’s bribery conviction.
Dhobi was caught accepting a Rs 100 bribe at Hatia Railway Station in 1995.
A special court convicted him in 2004 and imposed concurrent prison sentences.
The High Court reduced the combined effective sentence to one year, citing his age, health, and the case’s prolonged duration.
Now 75, Dhobi must surrender within two months after his bail was cancelled.
- Who
- Former parcel clerk Kali Shankar Dhobi, complainant Nirmal Kumar Begani, and the Central Bureau of Investigation were involved.
- What
- The Jharkhand High Court upheld Dhobi’s conviction for accepting a Rs 100 bribe but reduced his effective sentence to one year.
- When
- The bribe was accepted on April 27, 1995; the special court convicted Dhobi in 2004, and the High Court ruled after nearly 31 years of proceedings.
- Where
- The incident occurred at Ranchi’s Hatia Railway Station, and the appeal was heard by the Jharkhand High Court.
- Why
- The court cited the prolonged case, Dhobi’s advanced age and ill health when reducing his sentence, while finding no basis to overturn the conviction.
- Bribe amount
- Rs 100
- Incident date
- April 27, 1995
- Location
- Hatia Railway Station, Ranchi
- Special court verdict
- Conviction and sentencing in 2004
- Original effective sentence
- One year and six months, with sentences running concurrently
- Revised effective sentence
- One year in prison, with sentences running concurrently
- Current status
- Bail cancelled; surrender directed within two months