CJI pressures govt, CBI probes sale of tax tribunal judgments

Four years after the CBI exposed that judgments were allegedly being sold by the country's top tax tribunal, it's learnt that the government was forced to allow a probe by the investigating agency this year following the intervention of Chief Justice of India SH Kapadia. Nagendar Sharma and Satya Prakash report. The scandal

Four years after the CBI exposed that judgments were allegedly being sold by the country's top tax tribunal, it's learnt that the government was forced to allow a probe by the investigating agency this year following the intervention of Chief Justice of India SH Kapadia.

A-file-photo-of-Chief-Justice-of-India-SH-Kapadia

This has been revealed in letters by Justice Kapadia to the government, now made public through an RTI query.

"Apropos to our discussion on 2 January, I have to inform you to refer to my letter dated 18 February 2011 on the same issue," Justice Kapadia wrote to law minister Salman Khurshid on January 5. The government gave nod for a CBI probe in March.

At least 20 members of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) are under investigation for allegedly allowing private parties to write judgments in their favour.

Justice Kapadia first wrote to the government on February 18 last year in response to a law ministry letter.

The government had asked him to advise how it should deal with the allegations against ITAT members in various benches of the tribunal.

Justice Kapadia asked the government to take action as per the Income Tax Act, 1961 and the Recruitment and Conditions of Service Rules for members.

With the government dragging its feet for almost a year, he raised the issue again on January 2 this year in his meeting with Khurshid.