Kejriwal not the only IRS officer with pending dues

New Delhi: Resignations of four Indian Revenue Service officers, including Magsaysay awardee and Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal, have not been accepted by the government due to pending requisite formalities. Between 2007-11, resignations of 15 IRS (T) officers were accepted which include two officers - Amita Sharma and Ambika Prasad, who were asked to pay dues of Rs 9.15 lakh and Rs 8.36 lakh respectively before clearance was granted.

The resignations of MS Padma Kumar, Arvind Kejriwal, AK Verma and Ashok Mittal are still "under process" for acceptance pending completion of requisite formalities ie 'No dues certificate', vigilance clearance etc, Central Board of Direct Taxes said in an RTI reply to activist SC Agrawal.

The reply states that 145 officers have taken voluntary retirement during 2007-2011. The data includes officers who have taken VRS till August 31.

Kejriwal has been slapped with a fresh notice by the Income Tax department, asking him to pay over Rs 9 lakh in dues by this month-end.

The office of the Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (CCIT) had on August 5 issued a notice to him in the case. Sources said a fresh notice has been issued to Kejriwal, who, the department claimed, had violated bond clauses under which he went on a study leave for two years and asked him to deposit the money. Kejriwal has now been asked to deposit the money by October, sources said. Kejriwal has sought more time to reply.

The dues had accumulated over the alleged violation of bond clauses under which Kejriwal, had gone abroad on study leave for two years between November 2000 and 2002.

When the Delhi CCIT had written to him in 2007 and 2008 for clearance of his dues, Kejriwal had responded that they may be waived.

Kejriwal and other Team Anna members attacked the issuance of notice terming it as an action of the government's "dirty tricks department" under instructions from political bosses.

Kejriwal has claimed that he did not "violate" any bond provisions and he had resigned from the job after the stipulated three years of rejoining duty following his study leave.