Man offers Rs1 lakh bribe cheque to Kapil Sibal

Now, bribes come in cheque! HRD Minister Kapil Sibal found to his dismay that someone tried to bribe him with a cheque of Rs1 lakh for being appointed as the registrar of a central university in Jharkhand.

This came to light after the ministry approached police seeking registration of a case.

The police registered a case on August 24 after the receipt of a complaint from the Ministry's Chief Vigilance Officer Amit Khare.

According to the FIR, Khare had written to Delhi Police Commissioner BK Gupta on May 24 about the incident.

Soon after the receipt of the letter containing a cheque of Rs1 lakh payable at Canara Bank, Khare wrote to the Police Commissioner seeking investigation into the matter.

In his complaint, Khare said that a letter addressed to the minister along with the cheque No 361296 dated August 26 drawn on Canara Bank payable to the Ministry of HRD was received.

The letter also contained a letter purportedly written by a person, Om Prakash, belonging to Dhurwa in Hatia (Ranchi) regarding his appointment to the post of Registrar or Deputy Registrar in Central University of Jharkhand, Khare said.

"It appears from the letter that the cheque has been used as an inducement to get a favour...This matter has been viewed very seriously in the ministry," Khare said.

Following investigations, police registered a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

A senior police official said a team would be sent to Ranchi to quiz Om Prakash.