The Supreme Court of India granted bail to a woman convicted under the Prevention of Corruption Act after expressing surprise at the Patna High Court’s observation that seized bribe money in her case was destroyed by rodents. The Court noted the potential for significant revenue loss to the state due to improper storage of evidence and indicated that the explanation for the destruction did not inspire confidence.
According to Live Law, the Supreme Court bench comprising Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice K V Viswanathan was reviewing a plea by Aruna Kumari, who had been convicted by the Patna High Court under Sections 7 and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The trial court had previously acquitted her, but the High Court reversed this decision and sentenced her to rigorous imprisonment.
The Supreme Court suspended the substantive sentence imposed by the High Court and directed that Aruna Kumari be released on bail, with terms and conditions to be set by the trial court. Coverage revealed that the High Court’s judgment noted the prosecution could not produce the currency notes allegedly recovered from the accused because the envelope containing them was destroyed by rats and rodents.
The High Court relied on the Malkhana register, which recorded the receipt of an envelope containing the bribe money, as supporting evidence. The register was produced and proved in court. Analysis showed that the High Court held the destruction of seized money due to improper storage would not by itself disprove the prosecution’s case if other circumstances pointed to guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
The Supreme Court, however, expressed concern about the frequency of such incidents and the resulting loss to the state. In its remarks, the bench stated, “We are taken by surprise that the currency notes got destroyed by rodents. We wonder how many such currency notes recovered in this type of offences get destroyed as they are not kept at a safe place. It’s a huge revenue loss for the State.”
“The explanation offered for the destruction of the currency notes also does not inspire any confidence,” the Supreme Court observed during the hearing.
The Court indicated that the issue of evidence destruction and its implications for corruption cases would be examined further at the time of the final hearing. Further details emerged that the Court questioned the adequacy of storage and handling of seized evidence in corruption cases, highlighting the need for secure procedures to prevent similar occurrences.
Concerns were also raised about the broader impact on the integrity of the judicial process and the ability to prosecute corruption effectively. The Supreme Court’s observations have brought renewed attention to the management of case property and the importance of safeguarding evidence. The matter is expected to be revisited during the final hearing as proceedings continue.
Note: This article is produced using AI-assisted tools and is based on publicly available information. It has been reviewed by The Quint's editorial team before publishing.