June 25: The City Civil and Sessions Court today sentenced a 63-year-old businessman to six months rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 on him for offering bribe to a Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) officer eight years back.

Sessions judge for cases under Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, Mrudula R Bhatkar convicted K S Muthukrishnan for offering Rs 5,000 in cash to MSEB's deputy purchase officer (generation) M R Deshpande in 1989. Officers of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had arrested Muthukrishnan after Deshpande tipped them off about the bribery.

In 1989, MSEB had invited tenders for purchasing diesel hydraulic locomotives, to be used at various power projects. Deshpande was looking after purchase of all such equipments required at MSEB power stations and power projects.

In July 1989, the tenders were opened and four companies were shortlisted.

On August 19, 1989, Muthuswami visited Deshpande at his office at the MSEB headquarters at Prakashgad, Bandra (east).

He first showed Deshpande the photograph of the locomotive his company had offered to MSEB. After a little talk, Muthuswami kept an envelope on Deshpande's table. When Deshpande partly opened it, he saw a bundle of notes of Rs 50. Muthuswami had told Deshpande that it was a small gift for him from his company.

Deshpande then immediately alerted the MSEB security as well as the ACB and Muthuswami was arrested.

Special Public Prosecutor Manohar Kandalkar represented the state while advocate Adhik Shirodkar defended Muthuswami.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.