Railway Parcel Supervisor Sentenced to 4 Years in CBI Bribery Case

A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court in Ghaziabad has sentenced a serving railway official to four years’ rigorous imprisonment in a bribery case linked to parcel operations at Agra Fort Railway Station, reinforcing judicial intolerance towards corruption in operational public services.

The court convicted Rajneesh Chahar, who was serving as Chief Parcel Supervisor under the North Central Railway, after concluding that the prosecution had conclusively proved the demand and acceptance of illegal gratification. In addition to the prison term, the court imposed a fine of ₹10,000 on the accused.

The case dates back to January 2016, when the CBI registered a complaint from an authorised private parcel operator. According to the prosecution, Chahar demanded a fixed monthly bribe of ₹6,000 in exchange for allowing uninterrupted loading and unloading of commercial parcels on the Awadh Express at Agra Fort station. The payment was allegedly positioned as a prerequisite for the smooth functioning of routine parcel operations.

Acting on the complaint, the CBI laid a trap on January 1, 2016. During the operation, Chahar was caught while accepting the bribe amount. Investigators recovered the cash in the presence of independent witnesses, following all procedural safeguards required under law. The agency later filed a chargesheet on February 26, 2016, and formal charges were framed the following month.

During the trial, the court examined oral testimony, documentary records and evidence from the trap proceedings. The court held that the prosecution had successfully established both the demand and acceptance of illegal gratification, a key requirement for conviction under anti-corruption laws.

Legal experts note that such cases highlight vulnerabilities in operational departments where discretionary authority intersects with commercial activity. Strengthening internal oversight mechanisms, periodic audits and accountability checks similar to controls emphasised in professional auditing services in india are often cited as critical safeguards against systemic corruption in public institutions.

The judgment sends a clear signal that even mid-level officials exercising operational control are subject to strict scrutiny, and that corruption in public utilities will invite serious penal consequences. CBI officials said the conviction reflects the agency’s continued focus on enforcing integrity within government departments that directly affect public and commercial stakeholders.