The Supreme Court on 28 October 2026 upheld a former Kerala Sub Registrar’s conviction for disproportionate assets and directed him to surrender within two weeks.
Judge / Bench — Justices Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva; judgment by Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva.
Prosecutors must first establish the official’s known income, assets and expenditure. Once a disproportion is proved, the official must credibly explain the excess; investigators need not eliminate every hypothetical income source.
In Criminal Appeal No. 5399/2025, the excess exceeded 51% and remained over 26% even accepting the defence’s proposed reductions. The Court vacated interim bail, leaving the High Court’s reduced sentence of one year’s rigorous imprisonment and ₹2 lakh fine intact.
Advocates appearing — Appellant and respondent — Not named in the judgment.