Bombay HC quashes CBI bribery case against ex-Jet Airways staff

The Bombay High Court on Thursday, 5 November 2026, quashed the FIR, chargesheet and all criminal proceedings against four former Jet Airways employees, three pilots and a ground staffer, who were accused of bribing an EPFO officer to process their provident fund claims. Justice Milind Jadhav ruled that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case under the Prevention of Corruption Act and criminal conspiracy charges, saying the material did not show criminal intent.

The four employees had approached a private intermediary, Machindra Bamne, who was recommended as a consultant, to help them access their PF dues after technical glitches on the EPFO portal prevented them from withdrawing the money. Bamne, who turned out to be an EPFO security assistant, was paid Rs 1.77 lakh by 13 claimants into a joint account he held with his wife. The CBI registered the case in July 2023 and filed a chargesheet, but the court found no evidence that the petitioners knew Bamne was a public servant.

The judge noted that Bamne had concealed his consultancy business from the EPFO, supporting the petitioners' claim that they believed they were dealing with a private consultant. The court also held that mere payment of money to a person who happens to be a public servant does not automatically constitute an offence under Section 8 of the PC Act, and that continuing the proceedings would be an abuse of the process of law.