Thane News: Special CBI Court Convicts Income Tax Officer In ₹40,000 Bribery Case, Sentences Him To 6 Months Jail

Thane, March 31: A Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Thane has convicted a 65-year-old Income Tax officer, Deenanath Krishna Puthran, posted in Navi Mumbai, and sentenced him to six months of rigorous imprisonment for accepting illegal gratification to clear an income tax file.

The court held him guilty under Sections 7 and 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, noting that the sentences under both sections will run concurrently.

Court finds evidence of demand and acceptance

The judgment was delivered by Special CBI Judge D.S. Deshmukh, who, in an 80-page order, observed that the prosecution had successfully established both the demand and acceptance of the bribe.

“By adducing corroborative as well as substantive evidence, the prosecution has proved that the accused had demanded a bribe amount from the complainant for scrutiny of his tax for the assessment year 2003–2004. Not only this, he has accepted the bribe amount. Therefore, the prosecution has proved the ingredients of the offence punishable under Sections 7 and 13 of the P.C. Act,” the court held.

Complaint and allegations

According to the prosecution, the case dates back to January 2, 2007, when the complainant, Samraj Naikar, Managing Director of M/s Shree Laxmi Electricals and Consultants Pvt. Ltd., approached the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch in Mumbai. He alleged that the accused, then posted as Income Tax Officer at Ward No. 22(3)(2) in Vashi, Navi Mumbai, had demanded Rs 40,000 as a bribe for completing the assessment of his company’s tax case. Naikar claimed he had already paid Rs 15,000 in December 2006 due to harassment, and the officer was pressuring him to pay the remaining Rs 25,000, threatening adverse tax implications otherwise.

CBI verification and trap operation

Acting on the complaint, the CBI conducted a verification exercise on January 3, 2007, using a micro cassette recorder to capture the conversation between the complainant and the accused.

During the recorded interaction, the officer agreed to reduce the bribe amount to Rs 20,000 and directed the complainant to hand over the money to a co-accused.

Subsequently, the CBI laid a trap after treating the currency notes with phenolphthalein powder and documenting their serial numbers in the presence of independent panch witnesses.

The complainant was instructed to hand over the tainted money only upon demand, while the conversation was recorded using concealed equipment.

Also Watch:

Evidence leads to conviction

The court noted that the recorded conversations, corroborative evidence, and testimony of witnesses clearly established the demand and acceptance of illegal gratification, leading to the conviction of the accused public servant.

To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/