Former CRPF DIG among 3 jailed in 2009 recruitment bribery case

A special CBI court in Lucknow on Saturday sentenced a former senior officer of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and two others to three years of rigorous imprisonment in a long-pending bribery case linked to constable recruitment.

The court convicted Vinod Kumar Sharma , then Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the CRPF, along with personnel Satyavir Singh and Tirath Pal Chaturvedi . In addition to the jail term, the court imposed a total fine of ₹1.2 lakh on the accused, according to a statement issued by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The case dates back to February 23, 2009 , when the CBI registered an FIR based on source information alleging corruption in the recruitment of Constables (General Duty) in the CRPF.

Investigations revealed that Sharma had entered into a criminal conspiracy with private middlemen to extract illegal payments from candidates seeking recruitment. He allegedly shared confidential details , including recruitment schedules and available vacancies, with these intermediaries.

These middlemen, in turn, approached aspirants and demanded hefty bribes in exchange for assured selection . The CBI found that this arrangement enabled manipulation of the recruitment process, undermining fairness and transparency.

As a senior officer, Sharma is said to have played a central role in facilitating the racket , misusing his official position to provide insider information. The two co-accused CRPF personnel allegedly assisted in executing the scheme and coordinating with intermediaries.

The CBI filed its first charge sheet in 2010 , followed by a supplementary charge sheet in 2012 , detailing the conspiracy and the flow of illegal gratification.

After years of trial, the court’s verdict brings closure to a case that highlighted systemic corruption risks in recruitment processes within security forces, reinforcing accountability within public institutions.