Bengaluru: A special court for corruption cases registered and investigated by Lokayukta in Tumakuru held a former assistant executive engineer with Bescom-Kunigal and an electrical contractor guilty of accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000 to install a transformer in 2014 and sentenced them to five years’ simple imprisonment with fine.The convicted are then AEE PN Hanumantaiah and contractor PT Sheshachalaiah alias Sheshachala. They were shifted to the district prison, Tumakuru. Hanumantaiah, who is in his late 60s, has retired from service.Special judge Yasmin Parveen Ladkhan imposed fine of Rs 30,000 each on both convicts and directed them to undergo nine more months of simple imprisonment in case of default.The case dates back to Jan 25, 2014, when Lokayukta police trapped the two near Bescom office, Kunigal, while accepting Rs 30,000 from an agriculturist. “The agriculturist applied for a transformer so that he could install electric motors near his farm. Hanumantaiah demanded Rs 70,000 and directed the farmer to give Rs 30,000 as advance. The farmer filed a complaint with Tumakuru-Lokayukta and a trap was laid,” public prosecutor Basavaraju N told TOI.
