The Special Court to trial cases registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act in Tiruchi on Friday convicted and sentenced S. Elangovan, former Chief Inspector of Industries, Chennai, to undergo seven years of rigorous imprisonment on the charges of demanding and obtaining a bribe of ₹ 2 lakh from the managers of Sterlite Copper Industries in Thoothukudi in 2008.
According to police, officers of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption (DVAC), Tiruchi Unit, acting on secret information, conducted a surprise check in a private residency in Tiruchi on December 12, 2008, and arrested the then Chief Inspector of Industries S. Elangovan, 72, while receiving the bribe.
The charges against him were that he demanded ₹ 5 lakh and obtained a bribe of ₹ 2 lakh in advance from the managers of Sterlite Copper Industries in Thoothukudi to revoke the prohibitory order issued by the Deputy Chief Inspector of Factories, Thoothukudi, banning the operation of a cooling tower in the factory following an accident in which S. Vijay, a trainee engineer, was killed in November 2008.
DVAC DSP G. Manikandan said Elangovan was remanded in judicial custody and placed under suspension. Later, he was released on bail. The DVAC filed the charge sheet in the case in 2009 and after the trial, the Special Judge R. Karthikeyan on Friday convicted and sentenced him to undergo seven years of rigorous imprisonment under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and imposed a fine of ₹ 30,000 on him. He was lodged in Tiruchi Central Prison.
