I-T officer suspended for wrongdoing

Surat: Deputy commissioner of income tax (I-T) department D K Meena, posted at Surendranagar, was suspended for allegedly harassing a taxpayer on Friday.

Official sources said serious allegations were received against Meena for harassing a taxpayer in a limited scrutiny case with malafide intentions. "While making assessment in a limited scrutiny case, the officer in question was alleged to be making fishing and roving enquiries by travelling beyond his jurisdiction and expanding the scope of limited scrutiny by covering new issues without the approval of competent authority," an official release from the I-T department said.

During the inspection of the records, it was found that no reason had been recorded for expanding the scope of limited scrutiny and no approval was taken from the authority to convert the limited scrutiny into complete scrutiny, the statement added. Moreover, the order sheet was also maintained very perfunctorily. However, the conduct of Meena was found to be in gross violation of the detailed instructions issued by Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) with reference to limited scrutiny cases.

"The department has zero tolerance to such malpractices. The officer has since been placed under suspension for his negligence and grave misconduct," a senior officer said.