I-T commissioner, 4 others held by CBI for Rs 70 lakh bribe

HYDERABAD/MUMBAI: CBI on Saturday arrested Jeevan Lal Lavidiya, commissioner of income-tax (exemptions), Hyderabad, along with four others, including a senior employee of Shapoorji Pallonji Group, in a bribery case involving Rs 70 lakh.Jeevan Lal, a 2004 batch Indian Revenue Service officer, is the son of Wyra BRS ex-MLA Ramulu Naik. The arrested employee of the Shapoorji Group was identified as Viral Mehta, deputy general manager (taxation).According to CBI officials, Jeevan Lal was allegedly collecting bribes through a network of intermediaries to extend illegal favours in pending tax appeal cases. Besides exemptions, Jeevan Lal held additional charge of two appeals units.The FIR stated Jeevan Lal demanded Rs 1.2 crore from Viral Mehta, a resident of Chembur, to decide an appeal in favour of Shapoorji Pallonji Infrastructure Gujarat Pvt Ltd. Of this, Rs 15 lakh has already been collected by his middlemen, Chembur residents Prakash Pawar and M Sajida Shah, and Rs 70 lakh was to be delivered later. The FIR further said Mehta had sought time to pay Rs 70 lakh, saying he needed permission from the management. The management agreed to pay the amount, the FIR said, adding Jeevan Lal directed chartered accountant R Narendra to issue the final order at the earliest and close the matter.The others arrested are Sairam Palisetty from Srikakulam, Natta Ram Gopal from Visakhapatnam, and M Sajida Shah. CBI conducted raids at 18 locations across Mumbai, Hyderabad, Khammam in Telangana, Visakhapatnam and New Delhi, resulting in the seizure of incriminating documents and Rs 69 lakh cash, in addition to the bribe amount of Rs 70 lakh. The operations were continued until late Saturday.Officials added more arrests were likely, given that 15 people were named in the case and searches had not ended till Saturday evening. Jeevan Lal was posted in Mumbai from 2014 to 2021 where he occupied key positions.According to the FIR, Jeevan Lal had obtained a flat in Mumbai worth Rs 2.5 crore as bribe while dealing with an appeal of NDW Development Corporation. The flat was registered in the benami name of Dandela Venkateswarlu, resident of Khammam district, where Jeevan Lal belongs. In two other appeals of Ventura Securities Ltd and Anandrao Shitole in Thane and Mumbai, he received Rs 20 lakh and Rs 15 lakh, the FIR said. In another case of Hemantkumar Rajendrakumar Shah, Ahmedabad, Jeevan Lal had collected Rs 15 lakh, the FIR said.