2 Income Tax officials sent to four years in jail for accepting bribe of Rs 15 lakh

Jodhpur, Sep 26 (PTI) A special CBI court on Friday sentenced two Income Tax officials to four years in prison for accepting a bribe of Rs 15 lakh, while acquitting a jeweller accused of acting as a middleman. In addition to the prison terms, both officials were ordered to pay a fine of Rs 1.10 lakh each, officials stated.

Delivering the judgment, Presiding Officer (Special court for CBI cases) Bhupendra Sanadhya observed that the actions of the officials constituted serious corruption, undermining public trust in government institutions, according to a court order.

The case traces back to March 2015, when the then-chief Income Tax commissioner Pawan Kumar Sharma and inspector Shailendra Bhandari were arrested along with jeweller Chandra Prakash Katta, after Barmer businessman Kishore Jain approached the CBI.

Jain alleged that the IT officials had inflated his tax liability for the year 2012-13 from Rs 2.5 crore to Rs 12 crore and later demanded a bribe to settle the issue.

Initially, the bribe demand stood at Rs 25 lakh but was later reduced to Rs 23 lakh after negotiations. Jain, who had already won a favourable ruling at the Commissioner of Appeals, complained of persistent pressure from senior officials even after the ruling was issued.

Following his complaint, the CBI set up a trap. On March 31, 2015, Bhandari was caught red-handed while collecting Rs 15 lakh at Katta's showroom. Investigators concluded that the money was being collected on behalf of Sharma, resulting in the arrest of all three individuals, the CBI investigation stated.

The two officials and the jeweller were charged under Section 120B of the IPC and relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. However, Katta was acquitted due to insufficient evidence regarding his involvement.

The CBI also conducted raids at eight of Sharma's properties across the country, which led to a separate case against him for possessing disproportionate assets worth crores, including immovable property and other valuable items. PTI COR MPL MPL