Mumbai: A special court on Wednesday convicted two senior female Income Tax (I-T) officials and one of their spouses, sentencing each of them to five years’ rigorous imprisonment. The trio was convicted for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 1.5 crore from a Thane-based developer.
Special Judge VV Kathare convicted additional I-T commissioner Sumitra Banerji and assistant I-T commissioner Anjali Bambole. The court also convicted Sumitra’s husband Subroto Banerji, who was caught red-handed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at Vikhroli.
The incident took place in March 2010 when Banerji, a public servant, hatched a criminal conspiracy with Bambole.
The duo conspired to conduct a survey at the premises of Ram Developers in Thane. During the survey, Banerji demanded Rs 2 crore from the developer and threatened to turn the survey into a search operation, if he failed to abide by her order.
According to the prosecution, Banerji, in connivance with Bambole, prepared fake documents to implicate the developer in a false income disclosure case. She threatened the developer and pressurised him into accepting her demand. The developer, accordingly, agreed to pay Rs 1.5 crore and the same was handed over to Banerji’s husband at Vikhroli bridge, from where he was picked up by CBI sleuths.
After the trio was arrested, they were tried before a special CBI court. The court considered the case of the prosecution, argued by Public Prosecutor Kavita Patil and accordingly convicted all the three accused under charges of criminal conspiracy and demanding illegal gratification. The court also imposed a fine of Rs. 80 lakh on Sumitra, Rs 30 lakh on her husband and Rs. 40 lakh on Bambole for her role in the case.