A Special Court for cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act in Chennai on Monday convicted a former temporary junior assistant attached to the Mambalam-Guindy taluk office and a private individual in a bribery case related to the issuance of a legal heir certificate.

According to the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), the case was registered in 2011 based on a complaint lodged by K. Jansi alias Jansi Rani of Virugambakkam. The complaint stated that she had applied for a legal heir certificate following the death of her father, Karuppiah, on August 31, 2010. During her visit to the taluk office on December 14, 2010, temporary junior assistant and clerk T.S. Murthy allegedly introduced her to N. Sugumar, a private individual, and instructed her to pay the amount demanded by him for obtaining the certificate.

DVAC officials said that on March 10, 2011, Sugumar allegedly collected a bribe of ₹4,000 on behalf of Murthy and handed over the legal heir certificate to the complainant. Following this, both the accused were arrested and remanded in judicial custody.

Delivering the judgment, the Special Judge found Murthy guilty under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The court sentenced him to two-year rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹2,000. Sugumar was convicted and sentenced to one-year rigorous imprisonment and fined ₹1,000.