- I Paid A Bribe
- 14 years ago
- 2998 views
Indicted in False Case
- Transport
- False Allegations
- Paid INR 2,000
1. a AutoRickshaw crashes into my car
2. My family & I are mobbed by autorickshaw drivers, and asked not to file a case
3. I drive down to the local policestation
4. Case filed against me for hit & run by Auto driver
5. I pay bribe for 2 consecutive days
6. I am fighting a case and am the culprit for no fault of my own
End of February 2010, My brother, wife and I are driving down from Calicut, Kerala. The journey was very pleasant, no highway drama, pleasant morning drive through the jungle, and plan to reach Bangalore by 2PM noon. All hopes came to an sour end when I had slow down on a bridge on my side of the road due to oncoming traffic. Everyone has the brain to slow down, but the auto driver did not have one. He crashes on to the left side of my car, which almost parked to a corner of the road.
Auto drivers and locals mob the place, and ask me not to file a case and drive away. Not listening to their threats, I drive down to the Nanjangud Rural Police station, the local auto driver Union in the mean time has filed a case on me for hit & run on the Auto. I promptly drive to the station to file a case, and the authorities refuse to file a case. Assistant Sub-Inspector claims I am the culprit, without any interrogation, files a case against me, snatches my car keys and keeps it in the police station. The assistant sub inspector takes time out to go out on a lunch break with the actual culprits and not sure how much bribe he has collected from them.
Among other issues, being a non Kannada person, stands against me, and the car registration being a Karnataka vehicle is the only saving grace from further humiliation.
Now with my car seized at the station and the auto driver, owner and a womens organization claiming the mistake was mine demand 10,000 rupees from me, which I refused to pay until the sub-inspector asks me pay them a compensation of 1000RS. Still my vehicle is not released. My wife and my brother are going through this ordeal with me, and I hated myself for putting them through this trouble. By 4PM I am asked to go back home and come back next day as the RTO is closed.
Monday morning, I return to Nanjangud Rural Police Station by 9 AM to claim my vehicle and I am given an update that I have get court orders to release my car(Registered in my elder brothers name). I ask my brother to travel to the location now, one more family member has to go through this ordeal now.
Not that I was given a run around at the police station I have to pay at each desk at the court, may be 6 - 7 or even 8 desks, and each one wants not less than 100 rupees to give me their signature, if I dont pay, i had to wait forever to get my work done. Now after receiving the court orders for the vehicle release, I assumed my problems are over, only to find out I have to pay rupee 3000 rupees at the police station, and I had only 700 rupee left in the wallet. which the cops finally collected, and released the vehicle.
After going through 2 days of ordeal and being named the culprit, I have completely lost the faith in Indian Legal System, and more or less assured that there is no honest government official left in the system
Many more instances not mentioned in the above real story. But I dont know where I stand on my case. Not sure if it getting out of it is going to be any easy now.