E-Paper
2020 graft case: After 4 yrs VB gets nod to prosecute assistant excise and taxation commissioner Rajesh Bhandari
Assistant excise and taxation commissioner (AETC) Rajesh Bhandari, who was posted at the Shambhu barrier in the excise and taxation department’s (mobile wing), was arrested on January 15, 2020, by the VB sleuths after his driver was caught accepting a bribe on his behalf in Chandigarh.
After a delay of nearly four years, the Punjab excise and taxation department granted permission to the vigilance bureau to prosecute assistant excise and taxation commissioner (AETC) Rajesh Bhandari, who was arrested for accepting a bribe of ₹5 lakh.
Even though the financial commissioner taxation Vikas Pratap granted the permission in November last year, a formal letter in this regard was sent to VB in the first week of January.
Bhandari, who was posted at the Shambhu barrier in the excise and taxation department’s (mobile wing), was arrested on January 15, 2020, by the VB sleuths after his driver was caught accepting a bribe on his behalf in Chandigarh.
The complainant, Daljit Singh Tinku, owner of M/s Narang Carrying Corp (Ludhiana), had presented the audio recording to VB in which Bhandari could allegedly be heard demanding a bribe to conclude an investigation related to his firm.
A VB official, who did not wish to be named, said the bureau after completing the investigation wrote to the financial commissioner taxation, on March 13, 2020, seeking permission for prosecution. However, on one or another pretext, the file was not cleared, and bypassing laid rules, the excise department authorities conducted their inquiry into the matter and through VB sent Bhandari’s voice samples to a forensic laboratory, which was matched with the recording presented by the complainant, the official said.
While granting permission the financial commissioner wrote: “After going through the report of voice samples, which have duly matched, and other material on record, I am of the opinion that prima facie a case has been made against the accused. Thus, the permission is granted under section 19-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act to prosecute the AETC.”
As per the charges, Bhandari was demanding ₹50 lakh bribe from a transporter, and the VB arrested the officer’s driver while accepting the first instalment of ₹5 lakh. Later, Bhandari was also arrested. During its probe, even the excise department concluded that Bhandari had not taken any permission to raid M/s Narang Carrying Corp (Ludhiana) on September 12, 2018, and kept the record of the firm to extort money.
BOX: Dept still to clear prosecution request of 15 others
As per VB officials, in the past three years, the excise department has yet to decide on granting prosecution sanction against 15 other excise and taxation officials booked in the multi-crore goods and service tax (GST) scam.
The FIR in this case was registered in August 2020 after the VB completed the probe. But the trial couldn’t commence as the prosecution sanction is awaited. Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2018, makes it mandatory for officials concerned to pass appropriate orders within three months. But in this case, there has been an extraordinary delay, said a VB official privy to the development.
In August 2020, the VB busted a state-wide tax evasion nexus between government officials and transporters and arrested six excise and taxation officials for causing a loss to the tune of ₹100 crore to the state exchequer by letting go of goods carriers without paying taxes. The officials were allegedly being paid bribes by transporters on a monthly basis, it was alleged.
The VB had sought permission to prosecute excise and taxation officials (ETOs) namely Japsimran Singh, Lakhbir Singh, Dinesh Gaur, Sunil Kumar, Kali Charan, Varun Nagpal, Abhishek Duggal and Ravi Nandan, besides assistant excise and taxation commissioners Vishawdeep Singh Bhangu, Harjinder Singh Sandhu, Harmeet Singh, Haryadwinder Singh Bajwa, Manjit Singh and Satpal, and DETC Balvir Kumar Virdi. The file is still pending with the financial commissioner taxation.
