After 4 year wait, VB gets nod to prosecute 3 excise officials

After a delay of four years, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau has finally got permission to prosecute three more excise and taxation officials, who were booked in a goods and services (GST) pilferage scam in 2020.
The excise and taxation department, after much deliberations has given sanction to prosecute assistant excise and taxation commissioner Vishawdeep Singh Bhangu and inspectors Abhishek Duggal and Kalicharan.
However, the department denied sanction to prosecute AETC Satpal Singh, Ravinandan Singh and ETO Varun Nagpal.
The vigilance bureau had arrested 12 tax officials and the role of many other officials was under scanner for their collusion in letting transporters evade taxes in lieu of bribes. The state probe agency had sought permission to prosecute nine officials.
Out of these, the permission to prosecute has been given in three cases while it has been denied for three other cases. Cases of prosecution sanction of ETO Ved Parkash Jakhar, DETC Simran Brar and ETO Piara Singh are still pending with the department.
The FIR in this case was registered in August 2020 after the VB completed the probe. But the trial couldn’t commence as the prosecution sanction was awaited. As per section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2018, it’s mandatory for officials concerned to pass appropriate orders within three months, but in this case, it took four years to get sanctions against three officials, while three more are still pending, a VB official, privy to the development, said on the condition of anonymity.
The case dates back to August 2020 when the VB busted a state-wide tax evasion nexus between government officials and transporters and arrested six officials for causing a loss to the tune of ₹100 crore to the state exchequer by allowing movement of goods without paying taxes.
The officials were allegedly being paid bribes by transporters on a monthly basis, it was alleged.
“We have submitted a challan against officials and now the trial will resume after the permission is submitted to the court,” a VB official said.