The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has officially registered a case against two former Income Tax officials and a private company partner in connection with a bribery scandal. The accused allegedly demanded and accepted a bribe of ₹9 lakh in exchange for issuing a favorable evaluation report for an industrial property.
The Accused and the Conspiracy
According to the First Information Report (FIR) filed by the CBI, the individuals involved in the criminal conspiracy are:
- Sanjay Bapurao Chinchghare: The then District Valuation Officer, Income Tax Department, Chennai.
- D Manjunathan: The then Assistant Valuation Officer-I.
- Subhash Chander Rana: Partner of AKS Engineering Company, Tiruvallur.
The property in question, which comprises both land and a building, is located at the SIDCO Industrial Estate in Ambattur. In 2023, the National Faceless Assessment Centre (NFAC) in New Delhi referred this property to the income tax valuation cell for assessment.
The Payoff
Following the NFAC’s reference, Rana met Chinchghare at his residence in Chennai, where the officials allegedly demanded the ₹9 lakh bribe in the presence of Manjunathan.
The CBI has recorded in the FIR that later that same evening, the transaction took place at a hotel in Ashok Nagar, where Manjunathan received the ₹9 lakh in cash from Rana in return for issuing a favorable preliminary valuation report for the company’s property.
Current Postings of the Accused
Despite their alleged involvement in the 2023 scam, both government officials currently hold active postings in Chennai:
- Chinchghare is presently serving as the Superintending Engineer (Planning) with the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) at Rajaji Bhavan.
- Manjunathan is currently working as an Assistant Engineer at the Regional Training Institute in KK Nagar.
Further investigations into the network and the specific property transactions are ongoing by the central agency.
