{
  "id": 8911850,
  "title": "30 years after ‘Rs 300 bribe’ charge, MP High Court backs acquittal of land revenue officer",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/30-years-after-rs-300-bribe-charge-mp-high-court-backs-acquittal-of",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-21T12:00:25.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/legal-news/30-years-rs-300-bribe-madhya-pradesh-high-court-acquits-officer-10887612/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In 1996, a land revenue officer in Madhya Pradesh was accused of demanding Rs 300 to issue a duplicate land record. The prosecution alleged the officer accepted Rs 300 from a complainant who had misplaced their original document. However, the officer recovered Rs 325 in government dues from the complainant, and witnesses provided conflicting accounts of the incident. The Madhya Pradesh High Court upheld the acquittal of the officer in September 2021, stating that simply recovering tainted cash was not enough to prove bribery. The court noted that the presence of outstanding government dues and differing witness testimonies suggested a reasonable possibility that the officer demanded the money to settle these dues, not as illegal gratification. The court dismissed the state's appeal, reaffirming the trial court's December 1997 acquittal.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Land revenue officer accused of demanding Rs 300 bribe in 1996.",
    "High Court upheld acquittal in September 2021, citing insufficient evidence.",
    "Officer recovered Rs 325 in government dues, witnesses gave conflicting accounts."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}