Modi govt charge sheets 3 top tax officers for misconduct

While hinting at a larger conspiracy, sources in the CBDT accused three senior Indian Revenue Service officers of recommending the imposition of new taxes without any authority and leaking it to the media.

New Delhi: In a swift disciplinary action, the Central Board of Direct Taxes Monday issued charge sheets against three senior Indian Revenue Service officers and stripped them of any official responsibility for violating service rules.

While hinting at a larger conspiracy, sources in the ministry of finance said the charge-sheeted officers acted without any authority, and prepared and publicised a paper for recommending tax hikes and circulating it to the media.

“The report advocated tax hikes, the imposition of wealth tax, inheritance tax, the imposition of COVID-19 surcharge and created panic and policy uncertainty among the people in an already economic situation,” said the sources.

The three charge-sheeted IRS officers are Prashant Bhushan, a 1988 batch IRS officer and general secretary of the IRS Association, who allegedly circulated the report to the media without any authority.

The other two officers are Shri Prakash Dubey, a 2001 batch IRS officer, who holds the position of joint secretary in the Officers’ Association, and Sanjay Bahadur, a 1989 batch IRS officer, both of them have been charge sheeted for misconduct and violating service rules.

While Prashant Bhushan was Principal Commissioner of Income Tax at Delhi, Shri Prakash Dubey was working as a director in DoPT and Sanjay Bahadur was Principal Director Investigation of North East Region.

Shri Prakash Dubey and Sanjay Bahadur have been accused of asking the junior officers, without any authority, to prepare the report and then leaking it to the media through the association.

“This action has been taken by the CBDT in view of their role and complicity in the preparation of the tax hike report titled FORCE which was being circulated & widely covered in the media,” said the sources.

Govt acts against powerful officer

No later than the news of action against the three top tax officers broke, social media was abuzz with the political affiliation of a family member of one of the officers.

IRS Officer Prashant Bhushan’s wife Amita Bhushan is an MLA from Begusarai in Bihar. Prashant Bhushan is the senior most among the charge-sheeted officers and general secretary of the IRS Association.

The accusation of misguiding young officers!

“These senior officers, despite having more than two-three decades of service, failed to exercise due caution and went on to misguide the 50 young officers,” said a source in the ministry of finance who declined to be named.

A source in the revenue dept said the government would have given due consideration to the suggestions made by the young officers.

“But instead of sending the report through proper channels, these officers, in the rank of principal commissioner, misguided them and went to the public,” said the sources.

(Article by Krishnanand Tripathi)