The appellant, a deceased government servant (Laxman Das Lahre), was convicted by the Special Judge (Prevention of Corruption Act), Raipur in 2002 for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs. 4,000/- from a complainant whose salary had been withheld and whose leave application was pending. The prosecution established its case through the complainant's testimony, a tape-recorded conversation capturing the demand, a trap operation using phenolphthalein-treated currency notes, and corroborating evidence from trap witnesses and the investigating officer. During the pendency of the appeal before the Chhattisgarh High Court, the accused died in 2014, and his legal heirs (wife and two sons) were permitted to continue the appeal. The defence argued that the tape-recorded evidence was unreliable, that the accused lacked authority over the complainant's salary/leave, and that prior animosity motivated false implication, but the prosecution maintained that demand and acceptance were proved beyond reasonable doubt. The High Court examined the evidence on record to determine whether the conviction under Sections 7 and 13(1)(d) read with Section 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 was sustainable.