CBI arrests Hyderabad Income Tax Commissioner and 4 others in Rs. 70L bribery case
Hyderabad: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested five individuals, including a senior officer of the Indian Revenue Service, in connection with a ₹70 lakh bribery case linked to the settlement of income tax appeals.
Jeevan Lal Lavidiya, Commissioner of Income Tax (Exemptions), Hyderabad, was arrested along with four others after a CBI team caught a middleman accepting ₹70 lakh in Mumbai. The bribe was allegedly meant for Lavidiya to pass a favourable order in an income tax appeal. At the time of the incident, Lavidiya was also holding additional charge of Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals Unit-8 and Unit-7) under the Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Hyderabad.
The CBI registered a case on May 9 against Lavidiya and 14 others, including private individuals and entities. According to the agency, the Commissioner, in collusion with intermediaries, was soliciting bribes in exchange for favourable decisions in pending appeals.
The operation led to simultaneous arrests in Mumbai and Hyderabad. Along with Lavidiya, those taken into custody include Sairam Palisetty, a resident of Srikakulam; Natta Veera Naga Sri Ram Gopal of Visakhapatnam; Viral Kantilal Mehta, Deputy General Manager (Taxation) at Shapoorji Pallonji Group and a resident of Chembur, Mumbai; and Sajida Majhar Hussain Shah, also of Chembur.
The CBI is conducting searches at 18 locations across Mumbai, Hyderabad, Khammam, Visakhapatnam, and New Delhi. These searches have so far led to the recovery of around ₹69 lakh in cash, in addition to the ₹70 lakh bribe amount. Several incriminating documents and articles have also been seized. The searches are ongoing.
The arrested individuals from Mumbai are being produced before the Special CBI Court in Mumbai, while those taken into custody in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are being presented before the respective local courts. The investigation continues.
