Income Tax Officials gets Four Years Rigorous Imprisonment in a Bribery Case

The Special Judge for CBI Cases, Dharwad (Karnataka) has sentenced Shri Abhishek Tripathi and Shri Alok Tiwari, both then Income Tax officials to undergo four years rigorous imprisonment with fine of Rs. 1,10,000/- each in a bribery case.

CBI has filed a case against the alleged income tax officials, alleging that they demanded illicit compensation from the complainant in exchange for withdrawing prosecution procedures launched under Section 276-B of the IT Act. It was also claimed that Shri, Abhishek Tripathi, who was working as an Income Tax Officer (TDS) in Belegavi, demanded Rs 4 lakh as a bribe from the Complainant when he came to the office to inquire about the show cause notice issued to his company on 30.11.2015 for the default of belated tax remittance.

The bribe was later reduced to Rs.2.5 lakh and Shri, Abhishek Tripathi instructed the complainant to pay the amount to his colleague Shri Alok Tiwari who in turn instructed to hand over the bribe to a private person. CBI laid a trap and caught the private person while accepting the bribe on behalf of the said officials.

Following an inquiry, a chargesheet was filed against the defendants. The Trial Court convicted both authorities but acquitted the private individual.