SC slaps Rs 1 lakh fine on Rajasthan government for harassing official

The Supreme Court fined the Rajasthan government Rs 1 lakh for harassing a government official by interfering in a sanction for prosecution.

The court said the joint secretary of the then chief minister of Rajasthan in May 2018 referred back the matter, asserting the money recovered from the official's table drawer proved bribe acceptance.

The court criticized the political dictate in dragging the official unnecessarily to court and said the sanction process under Section 19 of the Prevention of Corruption Act should not resemble Hamlet's soliloquy.

The bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran directed the state to pay Rs 50,000 each before the high court and this court as costs.