Rajkot: A Class III govt employee from Jamnagar, who was acquitted in a bribery case more than two decades ago, is still struggling to obtain a certificate confirming that the state has accepted the court’s verdict and decided not to challenge it.Mehul Singala, employed at the Jamnagar city survey superintendent’s office, was accused in 1999 of demanding a bribe along with his superior for verifying land ownership rights of a complainant’s relative. The anti-corruption bureau (ACB) laid a trap, allegedly caught him accepting the bribe, registered a case, and Singala was subsequently suspended. In Aug 2004, a special court in Jamnagar acquitted Singala and his co-accused of all charges after a full trial. The state govt challenged the acquittal in the Gujarat high court, which in April 2015 dismissed the appeal and upheld the trial court’s decision. Despite the high court’s ruling, Singala says he has been unable to obtain a certificate from the state govt stating that no further appeal or revision was filed against the 2015 judgment. He repeatedly approached the state law department seeking clarity. In 2023, he was told that in Feb 2020 the department had written to the public prosecutor of the Gujarat high court requesting a certified copy of the judgment, along with a legal opinion and related documents. His subsequent representations were also forwarded to the public prosecutor with reminders, but no decision was communicated. After receiving no resolution, Singala filed an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. In response, he was told that the law department had not received any proposal from the public prosecutor regarding whether the high court’s order was to be accepted or challenged. Singala said the certificate is crucial for regularization of his three-year suspension during the trial. “I am still not receiving the full salary I am entitled to because my suspension period has not been regularized. If I get that certificate, I can make a claim for reimbursement,” he said. He also pointed out that his co-accused, who was his superior at the time, received the certificate without making any request. “By procedure, I should have got it automatically. I kept waiting, but despite repeated efforts, I have not got it,” he added. The delay, Singala said, has caused financial hardship at a challenging time. “My wife is being treated at a hospital in Ahmedabad. If I get this certificate, I can claim my arrears and arrange funds,” he said.
