The Ministry of Home Affairs on Monday suspended Gopi Krishna, the former Excise Commissioner of Delhi, and Anand Kumar Tiwari, the then Deputy Excise Commissioner, after their names came up in the alleged excise scam in the national Capital. Sources said their suspension was recommended by Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena.
Krishna, a 2012-batch IAS officer of the AGMUT Cadre, is currently posted in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. Tiwari, a DANICS officer, was the Deputy Commissioner to Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
“The decision to this effect has been conveyed to the Chief Secretary, GNCTD and the Principal Secretary, Vigilance, whose inquiry report into the excise scam formed the basis of the L-G’s recommendation for suspension,” the sources said.
The sources alleged that the inquiry report brings out subversion of basic Government financial rules to provide benefit to licencees/tenderers.
“Officers of departments have tried to equate the failure of successful tenderer selected through a bidding process in obtaining a NOC from Airport Authorities, with unsuccessful bidders to justify the return of earnest money deposit (EMD) amounting to `30 crore of a successful tenderer who failed to obtain a NOC from the airport authorities.
“It is observed that there is a difference between an unsuccessful bidder and a successful bidder failing to meet pre-defined requisites — in this matter an NOC from the Airport Authority. Considering this condition, a successful bidder who has made an offer after considering the tender conditions, can’t be extended benefits in terms of Rule 48 (10) of Excise Rules 2010 which is applicable for unsuccessful bidders,” sources added.
The inquiry report reveals that officers of the department have allowed pro rata waiver on tendered licence fees for closure of retail vends due to Omicron- related issues, despite the fact that no such specific provision for compensation in form of reduction in tendered licence fees was available in the tender document. “It also observed that despite specific recommendation of the accounts branch for not allowing compensations more than actual reduction in sale, the officers moved the same and the Minister in-charge vide an order dated 01/02/2022 directed to provide pro rata licence fee relief to each licencee of the closed vends,” sources said.
“The inquiry report points out that despite the finance department underlining specifically that the proposed changes/amendments in the Excise Policy 2021-22 were prima facie wrong and required approval of the Lt-Governor, Sisodia blocked the note to this effect and returned the file to the Finance Secretary,” the sources alleged.