Excise official suspended one year after seeking bribe

MUMBAI: Bizarre is the excise department’s functioning. A fortnight ago, it expedited the reinstatement of three high-ranking officials who were trapped by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) less than two years ago. On Monday, the department suspended a senior official, a year after he was caught while demanding a bribe from a wine shop owner. Excise commissioner Vijay Singhal did not respond to text messages.
A senior BJP minister expressed surprise over the manner in which the excise department was reinstating and suspending senior officials. “I am surprised over both the decisions. The chief minister says ACB officials should not be reinstated. In the current case, the officials have been reinstated and given plum assignments. The suspension of an officer, who was caught more than a year ago, is surprising,” he said.
An offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act was registered against excise inspector Subhash Mahadev Jadhav on October 15, 2015, for allegedly demanding Rs 1.2 lakh from a wine shop owner in Aurangabad. Jadhav was arrested on the same day. After an inspection of the shop, Jadhav found serious irregularities in the stock. Initially, he reportedly demanded Rs 1.44 lakh, but settled for Rs 1.2 lakh. It could not be confirmed if Jadhav was caught accepting the bribe.
On July 18, the excise department invoked the provisions of the Maharashtra civil service rules and suspended Jadhav. Now, questions are being raised about why Jadhav was not suspended immediately after he was arrested in accordance with the service rules.
A fortnight ago, the excise department quietly reinstated three officials, who were trapped by the ACB. Thane excise superintendent Manohar Anchule and his assistant Ramesh Dhanshetty were allegedly caught accepting a bribe of Rs 18 lakh from their junior on February 19, 2015. They had demanded the amount to ensure that the junior was not transferred and suspended. In another case, excise inspector Rajendra Shirsat was caught offering a bribe to a female colleague. Anchule, Dhanshetty and Shirsat have been reinstated.
The BJP minister said the excise department could have delayed their reinstatement in accordance with the legal provisions. “The chief minister could have granted permission for continuation of their suspension,” he said.
“It is high time that the CM takes immediate steps for fast-tracking cases registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act. If the accused are convicted, only then will they be dismissed from the service,” he said.