CBI has booked G E Veerabhadrappa, a Vice-President of Income Tax Appellate Tribunal(ITAT), for allegedly amassing disproportionate assets, a charge refuted by the official who said the case was a conspiracy against him.
CBI sources today alleged that Veerabhadrappa, a chartered accountant who was an administrative member on the board, had amassed disproportionate assets worth Rs 3.92 crore during his service between 2003 and 2013.
The sources said that searches were carried out at two places in Bangalore and Mumbai after registering a case against him from where incriminating documents were seized by the agency.
"Every asset is declared to the Government and to the Income Tax department," Veerabhadrappa told PTI when asked to comment on the searches.
"It(the case) is a personal vendetta of the Law Secretary against me. I have been a strict administrator. I did not oblige the government's directive to pass a certain order. The government has been vindictive to me," he alleged.
Veerabhadrappa also said he had an unblemished service record.
The present case was a conspiracy by disgruntled staff members, whose transfer requests were turned down by him and who had the backing of the present Law Secretary B A Agrawal, he alleged.
Rejecting the allegations, Agrawal said, "The allegations are false. He had filed a case in CAT, Mumbai alleging the same thing. His case was rejected by the Tribunal."
"The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a case against Vice-President, ITAT, Mumbai U/s.13(2) r/w 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act-1988 for possession of alleged assets to the tune of Rs.3.92 crore which was disproportionate to his known sources of income," CBI spokesperson said here today.
CBI sources said the agency has also registered at least two separate cases against members of ITAT in different parts of the country but did not give details on the grounds it may affect its ongoing probe.
