Tax Assistant Jailed in Corruption Scandal

A senior tax assistant with the Income Tax department has been sentenced to six months in jail in a bribery case. The special CBI court in Thane handed out the sentence to Deepak Kumar Ram Babu, who was also fined Rs 4000.

Babu was found guilty under the Prevention of Corruption Act by special judge DS Deshmukh. The conviction stems from an incident in June 2016 when Babu demanded a bribe of Rs 1500 to process a TDS refund.

The case highlighted systemic corruption with the court noting its pervasive impact on the country's functioning. Although the prosecution sought maximum punishment, the judge considered Babu's family circumstances and lengthy trial period before sentencing.