IRS officer caught in CBI net for graft
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a new first information report against Jeevanlal Lavidiya, an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer from the 2004 batch and former Commissioner of Income Tax (Exemptions) in Hyderabad, and his wife, Shipra Srivastava, who was then a Deputy Inspector General with the Central Industrial Security Force in New Delhi.
The CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch-III filed an FIR on 10 September 2026 in New Delhi, claiming the couple had collected wealth beyond their known income. This case follows an earlier bribery investigation from 9 May 2025, when CBI teams set up a trap in Mumbai and arrested a middleman after he accepted `70 lakh intended for Lavidiya.
The money was reportedly intended to influence the outcome of a tax appeal. The Income Tax Department arrested Lavidiya and four others while he was Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals) for Units 7 and 8 in Hyderabad. At the same time, searches at 18 locations in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Khammam, Visakhapatnam, and New Delhi led to the seizure of about Rs 69 lakh in cash, along with trap money, documents, and digital records.
The May 2025 searches started the current case over disproportionate assets. At Srivastava’s home in Delhi, investigators found Rs 54 lakh in cash and notes listing various properties. They also collected documents about assets in Lavidiya’s name and her family members’ names. The earlier bribery complaint had already mentioned alleged benami holdings, including a Mumbai flat worth about Rs 2.5 crore, reportedly received in exchange for favours and registered under someone else’s name.
The CBI looked at the period from 1 April 2022 to 10 May 2025. During this time, the couple’s known income was Rs 1,95,74,358, but their assets and spending totalled Rs 3,07,52,247. The difference of Rs 1,11,77,889 was called disproportionate assets, making up 57.10 per cent of their declared income. By the end of this period, the family’s assets were valued at Rs 4,31,60,820. After considering legitimate income and expenses, the agency found that over Rs 1.11 crore could not be explained.
Lavidiya has been charged under Section 13(2) and Section 13(1)(b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. These sections address criminal misconduct by public servants whose assets exceed their known sources of income. Srivastava has also been charged under Section 12 of the same law for allegedly helping to acquire the wealth. Inspector Naveen Kumar is now leading the investigation. The accusations claim that officials used their authority over tax appeals to get cash, property, and unaccounted assets, keeping money and records at family homes. Lavidiya is the son of Ramulu Naik, a former BRS legislator from Wyra in Khammam district. Both officers left their jobs at the end of the inspection period.
The CBI is investigating where each asset came from, the wife’s involvement in acquiring or hiding them, and whether the unexplained money meets the legal standard for conviction. This case adds another layer to the original bribery scheme, focusing on wealth and keeping two senior officers from different central services under ongoing anti-corruption scrutiny.
