Accused Allegedly Demanded ₹20,000 for Marriage Certificate; FIR Registered Under Prevention of Corruption Act
The Jammu & Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Wednesday arrested a government employee after allegedly catching him red-handed while demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹15,000 in connection with the issuance of a marriage certificate.
The accused has been identified as Ajay Kumar, son of Late Ram Murti, a resident of Gango Chack, Gajansoo, Jammu. He is posted as a Junior Assistant in the Office of the Assistant Commissioner (General), Jammu.
According to an ACB spokesperson, the bureau received a written complaint alleging that Kumar had demanded ₹20,000 as illegal gratification from the complainant for facilitating the issuance of a Marriage Certificate under the Special Marriage Act, 1954.
The spokesperson said that following negotiations, the alleged bribe demand was reduced to ₹15,000.
Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the Anti-Corruption Bureau and requested legal action against the accused government employee.
The ACB subsequently conducted a discreet verification of the complaint. During the verification, the allegations regarding the demand for illegal gratification were allegedly found to be substantiated, establishing a prima facie case against the accused.
Following the verification, FIR No. 11/2026 was registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended in 2018, at Police Station ACB Central J&K, Jammu.
The bureau then constituted a trap team to apprehend the accused while accepting the bribe.
During the trap operation, the ACB allegedly caught Ajay Kumar red-handed while demanding and accepting ₹15,000 from the complainant. The accused was arrested on the spot, while the alleged bribe amount was recovered from his possession in the presence of independent witnesses, the spokesperson said.
Following the arrest, the ACB also conducted searches at the residential premises of the accused. The searches were carried out in the presence of an Executive Magistrate and independent witnesses.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau said that further investigation in the case is underway.