Woman sales tax officer punished for taking Rs.1,500 bribe

Concerned over high-ranking public servants involved in corruption cases, a Delhi court Tuesday jailed a woman assistant sales tax officer for three years for accepting a bribe of Rs 1,500.

Special judge B.R. Kedia jailed assistant sales tax officer Ved Kukreja (56) for three years and charted accountant (CA) Ashish Garg (34) for two years.

“I am of the considered view that the professionals like engineers, doctors and CAs are held in very high esteem and they are supposed to render their professional duties by exercising their specialized skill and knowledge,” Kedia said.

The court said public servants are not supposed to indulge in corruption by accepting or offering bribes.

According to the prosecution, Kukreja was caught red handed while accepting a bribe from Garg in March 2006 for getting a final sales tax assessment for his client, Shivalik Enterprise Private Limited.

The court also fined Kukreja and Garg Rs.20,000 each.