A Social Security Officer at the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) in Satara, Maharashtra, has been given a one-year prison term and fined in a bribery case. Swapnil Jadhav, who held the position of Social Security Officer at ESIC Satara during the incident, was convicted by the Special Judge for Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act cases in Satara. The case, initiated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on March 28, 2016, stemmed from a complaint alleging that Jadhav demanded a bribe of Rs 30,000 to avoid imposing a Rs 3 lakh penalty on a firm for employing over 10 workers under the ESI Act.
The accused, during negotiations, reportedly agreed to accept Rs 25,000 as illegal gratification. On the same day, the CBI conducted a trap and apprehended Jadhav and a private individual while they were allegedly accepting the bribe amount. Subsequently, a charge sheet was filed against Jadhav and the private individual, Abhijeet Jadhav, on June 28, 2016, after the investigation was completed. Following a trial, the special court found Jadhav guilty, sentencing him to one year in prison and imposing a fine of Rs 50,000. Abhijeet Jadhav, however, was acquitted of all charges by the court.
