The Centre has compulsorily retired 15 senior officers of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC) on Tuesday, under Rule 56 (j). The sacked officials include the ranks of Principal Commissioner, Commissioner, Additional Commissioner, & Deputy Commissioner of CBIC.
The officials were facing probes in corruption cases. With the move, the government hopes to send across a tough message to bureaucrats taking kickbacks for facilitating tax evasion by companies.
This is the second such incident of forced retirement after the new Modi government came to power on May 30. Almost a week after taking charge, the central government had on June 10 compulsorily retired a dozen senior government officers, including a chief commissioner, principal commissioners and commissioner of the Income Tax Department, under the Rule 56(j) of the General Financial Rules (GFRs). Under the section, the performance of an officer who has turned 50 or 55 or has completed 30 years of service (whichever is earlier,) is being reviewed to ascertain if he/she is liable for compulsory retirement.
Media reports had suggested that the Cabinet Secretariat and the Central Vigilance Commission had over the past few days given verbal instructions to the vigilance heads in many departments to expedite the process of identifying officers for compulsory retirement under the same rule.
