CBI Court Sentences Chief Commissioner and Income Tax Officer to Four Years in Prison for Bribery
A CBI court in Jodhpur sentenced Chief Commissioner of Income Tax P.K. Sharma and ITO Shailendra Bhandari to four years in prison and fined them Rs. 1.1 lakh each.
Bribery - CBI - Taxscan
Bribery - CBI - Taxscan
A special CBI court in Jodhpur has sentenced P.K. Sharma, Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (CCIT), Jodhpur, and Shailendra Bhandari, Income Tax Officer (ITO), Jodhpur, to four years of imprisonment each in a bribery case. The court has also imposed a fine of Rs. 1,10,000 on both officials.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered the case on March 31, 2015, following allegations that the two senior tax officers demanded illegal gratification from a taxpayer for providing undue favours in connection with his tax assessment. Acting on the complaint, the CBI organized a trap to catch the accused in the act.
During the operation, a private individual named Chandra Prakash alias Chandu was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs. 15 lakh from the complainant. The CBI stated that Chandra Prakash accepted the money on behalf of P.K. Sharma and Shailendra Bhandari as per their instructions.
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Following the recovery of the bribe amount, the CBI conducted further investigation and gathered recorded conversations among the accused persons. These recordings confirmed the involvement of both Income Tax officers in demanding and accepting the bribe. All three individuals were arrested soon after.
After completing the investigation, the CBI filed a charge sheet against the accused in the court of the Special Judge for CBI Cases, Jodhpur. The trial court examined the evidence, including the testimony of witnesses and the audio recordings.
In its judgment delivered on September 26, 2025, the court convicted P.K. Sharma and Shailendra Bhandari under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The court found them guilty of using a private intermediary to collect the bribe and misusing their official positions.
The court acquitted the private person Chandra Prakash Katta, stating that there was insufficient evidence to prove his direct involvement in the conspiracy.
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