Nearly 24 years after a provident fund official allegedly demanded Rs 500 as “seva pani” ( bribe ) to release an employee’s provident fund dues, the Delhi High Court has upheld his conviction for corruption, finding that he “abused his position” as section supervisor to obtain the bribe in connection with a claim pending in his section.

The employee’s provident fund claim of Rs 60,279 and pension claim of Rs 17,624 were sanctioned in January 2003, but the payments remained pending. He approached the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after the official allegedly demanded a bribe.

Justice Madhu Jain was hearing the official’s appeal against his 2006 conviction, in which a trial court had sentenced him to three years’ rigorous imprisonment. The court dismissed his appeal and directed him to surrender to serve the remainder of his sentence.

“The evidence proves the demand and conscious acceptance of gratification and establishes the offence, as it stood on January 30, 2003.…