by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group
Modi Govt first Coup against corrupt Top Tax officers
11 Commissioners sacked in One Day
Harish Gupta
New Delhi, June 10
In perhaps first ever clamp down on corruption since Independence, the Modi government decided to sack officers of the rank of Chief Commissioners of Income Tax Department.
In a coup of a sort, these government showed the door to these officers who had virtually run out of all relief from every judicial scrutiny for their grave misconduct and yet continuing in service.
Today, the government used its emergency powers and sacked them by compulsorily retiring them under Rule 56 J.
These include Ashok Agrawak, (IRS 1985 batch) the famous IRS officer who was posted in ED and allegedlycaught in a web of cases. S K Srivastava ( IRS 1989) – Commissioner( Appeal), NOIDA, was an accused of sexual harassment to two lady IRS officers of Commissioner rank. Managed to get tax evasions petition filed through a Member of Parliament ( Jai Narayan Nishad). Homi Rajvansh (IRS 1985) had acquired movable and immovable assets worth Rs.3.17 crores in the name of self and his family members. B.B. Rajendra Prasad was arrested by the CBI and the bribe consideration was recovered. He was also placed under suspension on 02.05.2017 following his arrest by CBI.CVC also directed vigilance inspection of the orders for acquiring Rs 2.73 crores.
Ajoy Kumar Singh CIT, Mumbai faced CBI probe in 2007 and arrested by the CBI and suspended in 2009. But nothing happened and he continued for ten long years.
B. ARULAPPA, CIT proved to be ineffective as a Supervisory officer as he failed to ensure assignment of important cases having large tax implication to senior and experienced officers and caused a huge loss of Rs 16.69 crores.
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Alok Kumar Mitra was involved in many cases of corruptions and extortion and passed many wrong and malafide assessment orders which were later on reversed by the appellate authorities.
Chander Sain Bharti was apprehended by CBI in connection with a trap case and the bribe money of Rs. 30 lakh was recovered from angadiya (courier and hawala channels) used by him. acquired assets worth Rs 1,63,12,939 (in his and his wife’s name).
Andasu Ravindar was apprehended by CBI with an amount of Rs. 50,00,000/- with him and could not explain the source of that amount. He received loans for himself and or his family members from various persons which were not intimated to the department. Andasu Ravindar accepted bribe M/s Aban Offshore Ltd., Chennai with whom he had official dealings.
Vivek Batra has been accused by CBI in 2005 of abuse of his official position to accumulate assets disproportionate to his known sources of income amounting Rs 1.27 Crore. Swetabh Suman was arrested by CBI in New Delhi on April 13, 2018 for allegedly demanding Rs 50 lakh for giving relief in a shell company matter to a businessman
