The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested an IRS officer serving as Additional Commissioner of Central Goods and Services Tax in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, a CGST superintendent and a private person in an alleged bribery case involving a demand that was initially ₹1.50 crore and later reduced to ₹40 lakh.
The arrested officials were identified as Vinay Kumar Kanheti, an IRS officer of the 2009 batch, and CGST Superintendent Rakesh Kumar Sinha. A private person, Narinder Rajput, was also arrested. The CBI registered the case on August 26 after allegations that Sinha had demanded ₹1.50 crore to settle a GST and royalty matter involving the complainant’s stone-quarrying firm.
Bribe Demand Allegedly Reduced to ₹40 Lakh
According to the case details, the alleged demand was reduced to ₹40 lakh after negotiations. The accused public servants allegedly arranged for the money to be collected through a private person and directed the complainant to make the payment.
The CBI laid a trap and caught the private person while allegedly accepting the ₹40 lakh. The acceptance of the money was subsequently acknowledged by Sinha and Kanheti, according to the information provided. Searches conducted at premises linked to the accused led to the recovery of ₹43 lakh in cash and jewellery worth approximately ₹90 lakh.
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Thane Court Declares Arrests Illegal
The Special Court at Thane rejected the CBI’s request for further custodial interrogation and held the arrests of all three accused to be illegal.
The CBI had sought five days of police custody, alleging a systematic act of corruption. The defence challenged the legality of the arrests and relied on Supreme Court judgments stressing the requirement that accused persons be informed of the grounds and reasons for their arrest.
After examining the arrest memos and case diary, the court found that the records did not establish that the accused had been properly informed of and had understood the grounds for their arrest. It also noted that relatives of the accused had not been informed in writing.
Accused Released on Bonds, Probe to Continue
The court also found no satisfactory justification for further custodial interrogation, particularly as the alleged bribe money had already been seized and mobile phones had been recovered from the accused. The CBI’s remand application was therefore rejected.
The court ordered the immediate release of all three accused on personal recognition bonds of ₹15,000 each, along with sureties of the same amount. They were also directed to cooperate with the investigation whenever called. The bribery probe remains ongoing despite the court’s finding that the arrests were not legally valid.
