Chhattisgarh High Court Says Recovery of Tainted Cash Alone Not Enough for Bribery Conviction

The Chhattisgarh High Court delivered the observation while hearing a bribery case where the prosecution relied primarily on the recovery of suspected illegal money. The bench held that, without corroborative proof such as testimonies, documents or other circumstantial evidence, the mere seizure of tainted cash cannot establish the essential ingredients of the offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The court emphasized that conviction requires establishing the guilty mind and the act of giving or taking a bribe, and that financial evidence alone does not meet the legal standard of proof beyond reasonable doubt.