Income Tax Faceless Assessment Sabotage Case: Delhi Court extends Custody of Accused CA and IT Dept Official
The duo is accused of undermining the Income Tax Department's faceless assessment scheme
A Delhi court has extended the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) custody of Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax Vijayendra R and Chartered Accountant (CA) Dinesh Kumar Agrawal by two days in connection with a bribery case linked to the Income Tax Department's faceless assessment scheme. The faceless assessment scheme, introduced by the Finance Ministry in 2019, aims to enhance...
A Delhi court has extended the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) custody of Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax Vijayendra R and Chartered Accountant (CA) Dinesh Kumar Agrawal by two days in connection with a bribery case linked to the Income Tax Department's faceless assessment scheme.
The faceless assessment scheme, introduced by the Finance Ministry in 2019, aims to enhance transparency and reduce human interaction in tax assessments. Under this system, taxpayers do not know the identity of the assessing officer handling their case.
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According to the CBI, Vijayendra, a 2015-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer posted at the department's Jhandewalan office in Delhi, and Agrawal, a private individual, allegedly conspired to undermine the scheme by collecting and disseminating confidential information about pending high-value tax assessments. They purportedly shared details such as the names of assessment officers and issues under scrutiny with various assessees, promising favorable outcomes in exchange for bribes.
The investigation revealed that Agrawal, who had previously contested the Lok Sabha elections as an independent candidate from the Valmikinagar constituency, approached taxpayers either directly or through intermediaries, offering to settle pending cases favorably for a fee.
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WhatsApp chats between Agrawal and Vijayendra indicated that sensitive information was shared and forwarded to other Chartered accountants to coordinate with interested assessees.
On February 6, the CBI conducted searches at 18 locations across Delhi, Mumbai, Thane, West Champaran (Bihar), Bengaluru, and Kottayam (Kerala), recovering incriminating documents, evidence of illicit payments, and digital data.
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The case originated from a complaint filed by the Income Tax Department, leading to a preliminary inquiry and subsequent registration of an FIR on February 4. The FIR names nine individuals, including Vijayendra, two Income Tax Inspectors-Dinesh Kumar Verma and Binayak Sharma-and five chartered accountants: Malik Girish Anand, Sushil Kumar, Shivratan Mangelal Singrodia, Bhavesh Parshottambhai Rakholia, and Prathik Lenin.
The court's decision to extend the custody was based on the CBI's assertion that new facts had emerged during the initial remand period, for further interrogation of the accused.
The investigation is ongoing.
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