CBI to grill Shapoorji Pallonji Group officials for accepting bribe demands of Hyderabad IT Commissioner Jeevan Lavidiya

Hyderabad: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is set to question the Gujarat-based Shapoorji Pallonji Group officials for accepting the bribe demands of Hyderabad Income Tax Commissioner Jeevan Lal Lavidiya to settle a tax exemption appeal in their favour.

On May 9, CBI arrested five persons, including Jeevan Lal Lavidiya, Commissioner of Income Tax (Exemptions), Hyderabad, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs. 70 lakh to favourably decide a tax appeal for a private party.

The arrest came after the CBI laid a trap and apprehended a middleman in Mumbai who was accepting a bribe on behalf of the Commissioner. Jeevan Lal Lavidiya is the son-in-law of former Telangana's Wyre constituency MLA Ramulu Naik.

The other arrested persons include Sairam Palisetty of Srikakulam; Natta Veera Naga of Visakhapatnam; Viral Kantilal Mehta, DGM (Taxation), Shapoorji Pallonji Group, Mumbai; and Sajida Majhar Hussain Shah of Mumbai.

How was the lid blown off?

CBI received specific tip off that Jeevan Lal Lavidiya, an IRS-IT 2004 batch officer posted as Commissioner of Income Tax (Exemptions), Hyderabad and holding the Additional Charge of Commissioner of Income Tax, in connivance with middlemen Natta Veera Naga of Visakhapatnarn; Sairam Palisetty of Srikakulam; Rayapureddy Narendra, CA of Hyderabad and others, is demanding bribe from private parties to settle their appeals in their favour.

Bribe Case 1

Jeevan Lal Lavidiy, while dealing with an appeal of company ---NDW Development Corporation LLP, based in Mumbai, accepted a flat worth Rs 2.5 Crore as a bribe. The flat belonged to Aviation Hotels Pvt. Ltd., a group company of NDW Development Corporation LLP. Lavidiya got the flat registered in the benami name of Dandela Venkateswarlu of Khammam. Wyra constituency, where his father was an ex-MLA. Jeevan kept the flat documents in his custody.

Bribe Case 2 :

While dealing with the appeals of Ventura Securities Ltd., Thane, and Anandrao Shitole, Mumbai, Jeevan demanded Rs. 20 lakh and Rs. 15 lakh respectively as bribes from these two firms.

Bribe Case 3:

While dealing with the appeal of Hemant Kumar Rajendrakumar Shah of Ahmedabad, Jeevan demanded Rs 15 lakh bribe. The bribe money again was routed through the bank accounts of his benamis and hawala.

When the axe fell on Jeevan

Jeevan's cover was blown off when he dealt with the appeal of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group of Mumbai.

In this case, he had demanded Rs.l.20 crore as a bribe from Viral Kartilal Mehr, DGM (Taxation), Shapoorji Pallonji Group, Mumbai to decide the matter in favour of Shapoorji Pallonji Infrastructure Gujarat Private Ltd., Vadodara.

As part of the plan, Rs. 15 lakh was already collected by his conduit, Sajida Majhar Hussain Shah of Chembur, Mumbai, and Prakash Sharnbaji Pawar of Chembur, Mumbai. The bribe amount was deposited in the bank account of one Landa Varahalu.

Another Rs 70 lakh of bribe amount was to be delivered shortly by Shapoorji Pallonji Infrastructure Gujarat Private Ltd. CBI laid a trap and apprehended a middleman in Mumbai while accepting the bribe on behalf of the Commissioner.

Subsequent arrests were made in Hyderabad. Searches at 18 locations across Mumbai, Hyderabad, Khammam, Visakhapatnam, and New Delhi have led to the recovery of Rs. 69 lakh in cash, in addition to the bribe amount, besides incriminating documents.

CBI booked a criminal case under Section 61 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.