Govt cleanup drive: 15 more senior tax officials forced into retirement by Centre over corruption charges

The Central Board of Indirect Tax and Customs (CBIC) has retired 15 officers of Indian Revenue Service (IRS) on charges of corruption.

Most of the cases had been initiated by the Central Bureau of Investigation. (Image: PTI)

New Delhi: Days after government ousted as many as twelve senior officers of the Income Tax (IT) department, the Central Board of Indirect Tax and Customs (CBIC) has retired 15 officers of Indian Revenue Service (IRS) on charges of corruption. According to an official release from CBIC, who had attained the age of 50 years and above, have been retired, under Fundamental Rules 56(j). Under 56(j), the performance of an officer who has turned 50 or 55 years of age or has completed 30 years of service (whichever is earlier,) is being reviewed to ascertain if he/she is liable for compulsory retirement. Though rule 56(J) provides compulsory retirement of government employee in public interest and has existed for several decades, but it has been partially invoked. This rule to punish non-performers was revisited immediately after the first Modi-led NDA government came to power in May 2014. Just like the previous orders by the government, the recently ousted CBIC officials have had cases against them related to disproportionate assets, impropriety, bribery, misuse of official position or even smuggling. Most of the cases had been initiated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and a couple of officials were already under suspension. Among those who were sacked in government’s recent cleanup drive was Anup Srivastava (1984 batch) currently posted as additional director-general of audit in Delhi. Srivastava had charges against him including illegal favour accorded to a housing society. Similarly, Atul Dikshit (1988 batch), a commissioner rank official currently under suspension, has a CBI case for allowing fraudulent drawback worth over Rs 74 crore and accumulating assets disproportionate to his known source of income. Apart from these, Nalin Kumar, joint commissioner (2005 batch) and SS Pabana, assistant commissioner (2014 batch) have been retired while under suspension currently. While Kumar has a CBI case against him on amassing disproportionate assets, Pabana was arrested by Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) for abetting foreign currency exports. “In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (j) of rule 56 of the fundamental rules, the president hereby retires ……… with immediate effect, he having already attained the age of 50 years.” The order said that the each official retired will be paid a sum equivalent to the amount of his pay plus allowances for three months equivalent to last drawn salary,” read the official statement by department of revenue.