‘Income Tax department should follow bribe cases’

Justice Vaidyanathan, while refusing to grant anticipatory bail to the person who had allegedly received the bribe after holding that the offence alleged is serious in nature and required custodial interrogation, also directed the Patinapakkam police to ascertain as to how the de facto complainant was able to part with such a huge sum for getting a medical seat. 

Also, the judge on directing the registry to mark a copy of the order to the Commissioner of Income Tax, Nungambakkam, to enable him initiate action in such type of cases, said “To put an end to this offence, the Income Tax Department should be set in motion, so that they will probe into the assets and liabilities of such offenders and ascertain their source of income through which they have paid the bribe.” 

He also held that if doctors are going to be qualified only on the basis of money and not on merit, the safety of the patients, who undergo treatment under them, would be a million-dollar question. 

The case of the prosecution is that SK Duriaraj from Tiruvanmiyur cheated the de facto complainant to the tune of Rs 20 lakh on the promise that he would get him a medical seat. However, he neither got a medical seat to the complainant nor repaid the amount.

But counsel for Durairaj contended that he had borrowed Rs 25 lakh from the complainant in 2014 and issued a cheque as security to the same and out of the loan amount Rs 24 lakh was paid. But a dispute arose pertaining to interest and the cheque issued as security was not returned to him.