ITAT Judicial Member, Along with Advocate and Appellant, Arrested by CBI For Taking a Bribe to Settle a Case in Favour
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has uncovered a bribery network involving the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) Jaipur Judicial Member, a Jaipur-based advocate, and an appellant for settling the pending appeal in favour of the appellant in exchange for a bribe.
The CBI took action after a case was registered against Rajendra Sisodia, the advocate; S Sethalakshmi, the ITAT Judicial Member and the Assistant Registrar of the ITAT Jaipur, along with public servants and private individuals. These accused were arrested during an operation conducted by the CBI on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Advocate, ITAT, Jaipur, was caught on 25.11.2025, with the bribe amount of Rs 5.5 lakhs, which was paid by the appellant, Mujmmel, via the hawala network. Soon after this arrest, the CBI team arrested the Judicial Member on Wednesday, where the team received Rs 30 lakh from her Car. The appellant was also arrested on 26.11.2025.
The Investigating team raided multiple locations, including Jaipur and Kota, which led to the seizure of cash of over Rs 1 crore. The team also found the transaction details, property documents and other documents suggesting the organised syndicate. The investigation also revealed that Seethalakshmi sent Draft Orders to advocate Sisodia before finalising the decisions. The orders were allegedly finalised after the payment was made. The investigation is still ongoing.
The ITAT, a judicial body, is the second appellate authority that resolves income tax-related disputes. The Tribunal must ensure that the cases are decided based on merit, fairness and according to the law. It is supposed to maintain the public trust in the judicial system. However, this case involves bribery with the ITAT judicial Member, showing a shocking betrayal of that trust. Instead of being unbiased, the tribunal member was allegedly taking bribes to favour one side.
