Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar : Observing that corruption involving income tax liability ultimately hurts the national economy, a CBI special court on Tuesday sentenced income tax officer Satish Kumar Bhadani to five years’ rigorous imprisonment in a 2016 bribery case.
Special judge Sanjay Kulkarni also imposed fines totalling Rs 1.5 lakh. The court convicted Bhadani for demanding and accepting a Rs 40,000 bribe while he was posted as income tax officer, Ward 2(2), Jalgaon . The court awarded Bhadani four years’ RI and a Rs 50,000 fine under section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. It handed him five years’ RI and a Rs 1 lakh fine under sections 13(1)(d) and 13(2). Patil approached the CBI on Sept 23, 2016, alleging that Bhadani had repeatedly called him from different numbers seeking the money. The court found that Bhadani demanded and accepted Rs 40,000. the court considered that Bhadani had faced trial for nearly 10 years and that his family was dependent on him While deciding the sentence. It granted him set-off for the period he spent in jail from Sept 23 to 28, 2016.
“The misconduct relating to income tax liability ultimately affects the national economy,” the court observed, adding that corruption in a responsible tax-collecting department could not be viewed with undue sympathy. Both sentences will run concurrently, CBI public prosecutor D N Mhaske said. The agency verified the complaint and laid a trap at Bhadani’s office.
During the trial, the prosecution examined 10 witnesses. Because he was aggrieved by the scrutiny of his returns and the tax demand, he claimed Patil had complained against him. Bhadani examined three defence witnesses and denied demanding or accepting a bribe.