Supreme Court: Non-Public Servants Can Be Convicted for Abetting Corruption Under Prevention of Corruption Act

The Supreme Court ruled that individuals who are not public servants can be convicted for abetting offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, particularly in aiding the accumulation of disproportionate assets.

The Court upheld the conviction of a former public servant's wife, who was found guilty of assisting her husband, a Divisional Manager at United India Insurance Co. Ltd., in amassing illicit assets in her name between 2002 and 2009.

She was convicted under Section 109 of the IPC, read with Section 13(1)(e) of the PC Act. The Court emphasized that any person facilitating such offences is liable for abetment.