FIVE YEARS RIGOROUS IMPRISONMENT TO THEN ADDITIONAL COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX AND TWO OTHERS IN A BRIBERY CASE OF 1.50 CRORE
Press Release New Delhi, 28.06.2018
The Special Judge for CBI Cases, Mumbai (Maharashtra) has sentenced Smt. Sumitra Banerjee, then Additional Commissioner of Income Tax, Thane (Maharashtra) to undergo five years Rigorous Imprisonment with fine of Rs. 80 lakh & her husband Sh. Subrato Banerjee to undergo four years Rigorous Imprisonment with fine of Rs. 30 lakh and Smt. Anjali Bambole, then Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax to undergo five years Rigorous Imprisonment with fine of Rs. 40 lakh in a bribery case.
CBI had registered a case against Smt. Sumitra Banerjee, Additional Commissioner of Income Tax, Thane (Maharashtra) and Smt. Anjali Bambole, Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax on 15.04.2010. It was alleged that the accused demanded bribe of Rs. Two crore from the complainant to settle the survey conducted on their firm. CBI laid a trap and caught the accused red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs. 1.5 crore.
After investigation, a chargesheet was filed against the accused persons on 18.01.2012. The Trial Court found the accused persons guilty and convicted them.
Source- CBI
The punishment, it is submitted with respect, is rather too lenient in the case of the IRS officer who demeaned the dignity and status of her office and showed utter contempt for the appointing authority–the President of India. These proceedings apart, there can be no doubt that the convicted officer did not commit this crime of taking bribe for the first time in her career in the reported case–and must have been doing so right from the beginning of her career. This was not possible unless she enjoyed the patronage of her superiors too whos should also be investigated since without their connivance and complicity (on profit sharing basis), she could not be so confident and daring. It is hoped that the CBDT, CBI and CVC would take appropriate action against the superiors under which this convict worked–and the muck obviously flowed down from the top.