Ahmedabad, August 22: A CBI court in Ahmedabad has convicted a tax officer in a bribery case dating back to 2013, sentencing him to three years of rigorous imprisonment. The court also imposed a fine of ₹20,000 on the accused.
The case involved the officer demanding a bribe of ₹10,000 in exchange for issuing a tax exemption certificate to a charitable trust.
After completing the hearings, the court found Jarnail Singh guilty. At the time of the incident, he was serving as an Income Tax Officer (OSD) in the office of the Joint/Addl. Commissioner (Audit) located in Ahmedabad.
According to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the case was registered on February 22, 2013. Singh was accused of soliciting a bribe from the complainant to provide the necessary certificate for tax benefits under Sections 11 and 80G of the Income Tax Act for the Shri Lekha Vividhalakshi Charitable Trust.
The CBI set up a sting operation and caught Singh red-handed while accepting the ₹10,000 bribe from the complainant. He was arrested on the same day.
The investigation agency filed a chargesheet in 2013, leading the case to be heard in a special CBI court in Ahmedabad.
In May 2026, a ruling by the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) Ahmedabad bench revealed that Jarnail Singh began his service in the Income Tax Department as an inspector in 1993 and was promoted to the officer position in 2001.
The ruling also noted that he was suspended following the CBI’s action in 2013 but was reinstated in February 2014. Subsequently, in November 2019, he was prematurely retired under Fundamental Rule 56(J) while the departmental inquiry and criminal case were still pending.
The CAT’s order confirmed that the bribery charges were related to the demand for ₹10,000 for issuing a certificate under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act.
The Ahmedabad court concluded the ongoing criminal case against Jarnail Singh, convicting him and sentencing him to three years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of ₹20,000.
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