Gurugram, Jan 10 (PTI) The court of Additional Sessions Judge Sunil Diwan has convicted two officers and a clerk of the Haryana Excise and Taxation Department in a bribery case and sentenced them to five years of imprisonment, besides imposing a fine of Rs 1 lakh on each, an ACB official said on Saturday.

The officials were arrested by a team of Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Karnal on May 9, 2022, while accepting bribe in exchange for issuing a GST number. Later, the clerk was also arrested and an FIR was registered at ACB, Faridabad police station.

According to the ACB, in May 2022, a building material supplier, Mohit, applied to the Excise and Taxation Department for a GST number to start his business in Faridabad.

When the file reached Excise and Taxation Officer (ETO) Roshan Lal, he rejected it citing deficiencies. When he applied again, he was asked to meet Excise and Taxation Inspector Sumitra Godara posted in Gurugram.

Mohit, in his complaint to ACB, alleged that Godara, the GST Inspector for Gurugram, demanded a bribe of Rs 7 lakh to issue a GST number.

The complainant's application for a GST number in Faridabad was rejected with ETO Roshan Lal asking him to meet Godara, his acquaintance, in Gurugram.

A senior ACB official said after receiving the complaint, the ACB team laid a trap and arrested accused Sumitra Godara on May 9, 2022, after she was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 2 lakh as advance. The ACB team also nabbed ETO Roshan Lal and clerk Pawan from Faridabad, who were later granted bail.

According to the ACB, Roshan Lal was posted at the Rohtak office, while Sumitra Godara was suspended. The accused have been sent to judicial custody.

A senior official of the Excise and Taxation Department headquarters said the department is studying the court's decision and further departmental action will be initiated soon against the convicts. PTI COR ARB ARB ARB

Gurugram excise officials convicted for bribery and sentenced; fines imposed and departmental action pending after sting. Two officers and a clerk of the Haryana Excise and Taxation Department were prosecuted after an ACB sting in response to a complaint that a GST registration application was diverted and a bribe solicited; one inspector was caught accepting an advance, all were arrested and sent to judicial custody, prosecuted for bribery, sentenced to imprisonment and fined, and the department is reviewing further disciplinary action.