CBI arrests IT Commissioner, Shapoorji Pallonji Group executive in bribery case 

The CBI has arrested Commissioner of Income Tax (Exemption), Hyderabad, Jeevan Lal Lavidiya, for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 70 lakh to settle an appeal in favour of Shapoorji Pallonji Group, officials said on Saturday.

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Lavidiya, a 2004-batch Indian Revenue Service officer, was arrested along with Viral Kantilal Mehta, Deputy General Manager (Taxation) of Shapoorji Pallonji Group; Sairam Palisetty; Natta Veera Naga Sri Ram Gopal; and Sajida Majhar Hussain Shah, they said.

There was no immediate response from Shapoorji Pallonji Group on the arrests.

According to the CBI, Shah was allegedly delivering the bribe to Lavidiya, who was also holding additional charge as Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals Unit-8 and Unit-7) under the Office of the Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Hyderabad.

The CBI registered an FIR against Lavidiya and 14 others and entities on allegations that the officer “in connivance with middlemen was indulging in corrupt and illegal activities of obtaining undue gratification for extending illegal favours in deciding appeals in favour of the private parties whose appeals were pending with him for decision,” the agency said in a statement.

A trap was laid and one of the accused was caught while accepting a bribe of Rs 70 lakh on behalf of the Commissioner in Mumbai. Subsequently, Lavidiya and his associates were arrested from Hyderabad, a CBI spokesperson said.

The agency conducted searches at 18 locations in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Khammam, Visakhapatnam and New Delhi, leading to the recovery of approximately Rs 69 lakh in cash, in addition to the bribe amount, the spokesperson said.

All the accused were produced before special CBI courts in Mumbai, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.