New Delhi: A special CBI court on Friday sentenced Lalit Bazad, a former Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer, to three years of imprisonment in a bribery case involving the extortion of a businessman through threats of prolonged legal harassment, officials confirmed.
According to a statement by the CBI spokesperson, Bazad, who was on deputation from the Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) and Central Excise, Chennai, was posted at the ED’s Bengaluru unit during the time of the offence. He was found guilty of demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹5 lakh from a businessman in exchange for not implicating him in “endless legal proceedings” that could tarnish his business reputation.
In addition to the jail sentence, the court imposed a monetary penalty of ₹5.5 lakh on Bazad for his involvement in the corruption case.
The conviction comes after a thorough investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which found concrete evidence that Bazad used his official position to extort money under the threat of legal action, violating his role as a law enforcement officer.
The case underscores the CBI’s ongoing efforts to clamp down on corruption within central agencies, and sends a strong message on accountability in public service.
