The issue of corruption charges has returned to haunt the Customs and central excise department on a day when finance minister Pranab Mukherjee told its officers to facilitate legitimate trade instead of creating administrative burden on them.
The alleged graft charges on central excise commissioner Anup Kumar Srivastava have now taken a larger toll with his immediate boss, chief commissioner of excise, Delhi, GS Narang, asked to go on leave, one month prior to his superannuation. The action has shocked the officers of the cadre as Narang, a 1974 batch officer is also the president of the high profile Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise) Officers Association.
According to top sources, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which arrested Srivastava last month, is believed to be unhappy over Narang?s silence on the misdeeds and corrupt practices of the arrested commissioner. Narang was Srivastava?s direct boss and was functioning two rooms away
from him and complaints about the latter had
reached him.
A source said since all the officers in the anti-evasion branch of the Delhi central excise I commissionerate were posted with Narang?s knowledge and approval it is inconceivable that he was not in the loop.
Central board of excise and customs chairman SK Goel told FE the matter is under investigation and so CBI would be the appropriate government agency to respond. ??As regards, CBEC we have no communication from CBI to provide more details,?? he added.
Goel further said that Narang is not doing well and he has taken leave from January 30 as he is unable to attend the office due to his health reasons.
The indirect tax department has faced several high profile corruption charges over the years including on transfers and promotion. Adviser to former finance minister Jaswant Singh had drawn up an elaborate but transparent policy to shuffle officers around the country so they would not develop unhealthy long- term contacts.
Last month, CBI arrested Srivastava after a local court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea in connection with his alleged role in a graft case. The senior officer had sought anticipatory bail after being named as an accused for allegedly receiving a bribe of R40 lakh from two businessmen.
In a related case, Narang is believed to have landed in trouble for having reviewed in January this year on a back date, an annual confidential report of Srivastava being considered for promotion while the departmental promotion committee for promotion to the grade of commissioner of customs and central excise was going on in the UPSC under the chairmanship of UPSC chairman. The officer was given a grading of ?outstanding? and the ACR was taken into consideration by the DPC.
??A complaint in this regard is believed to have been received by the CBI and the central vigilance commission,?? a source said. Narang is also learnt to have proudly announced this ante dating at a recent annual general meeting of the IRS (Customs and Central Excise) association.
Parliamentary records show the revenue has one of the worst records among central government departments on corruption. As per data presented in the Monsoon session last year by the minister of state in the PMO V Narayanasamy, of the 955 central government officials caught by CBI for taking bribes from 2008, there are 70 from the customs and central excise department. The other offenders are the ministry of railways and public sector banks. The number for railways is 156 followed by banks at 144.
Addressing serving and retired indirect tax officers at a seminar, ??50 years of the Customs Act 1962??, Mukherjee said on Thursday asked the department to further enhance its efficiency and deliver on all fronts with a focus on certain strategic objectives including increasing competitiveness of Indian business by use of modern customs operating methods and facilitating legitimate trade by reducing administrative burden.
