Jaipur, Oct 9 : A special CBI court in Jodhpur has sentenced former Income Tax Officer Shailendra Bhandari to four years in prison and imposed a fine of Rs 27 lakh in a disproportionate assets case. The verdict was delivered by judge Bhupendra Kumar Sanadhya on Thursday.

According to the court, Bhandari illegally acquired 26.46 per cent of his total assets during his tenure in the Income Tax Department.

While his known income was Rs 61.25 lakh, investigations revealed he owned assets worth Rs 1.57 crore, with Rs 26.6 lakh deemed to be unaccounted and illegally acquired.

In his remarks, Judge Sanadhya observed: "Corruption has spread across every sector and is eating away at the nation's economy like termites. Despite strict provisions under the Prevention of Corruption Act, government employees continue to indulge in corrupt practices.

"If leniency is shown to the accused, it would encourage other corrupt officials and send a wrong message to society."

The case traces back to March 31, 2015, when the CBI arrested Bhandari, then Chief Commissioner PK Sharma, and a jeweler in a bribery case.

Subsequent investigations revealed both officials had amassed assets disproportionate to their known sources of income. Separate cases were filed against them.

CBI searches of Bhandari's home and office uncovered extensive documents and records indicating large-scale asset accumulation in his and his family's names. Based on the evidence, the CBI filed a disproportionate assets case on March 2, 2016, led by Inspector Mukesh Bansal.

As per CBI lawyer Bhagwan Singh Bhanwaria, Bhandari began his career in the Income Tax Department on January 2, 1978, starting as an LDC (Lower Division Clerk).

Over the years, he was promoted through various ranks, serving as UDC, Tax Assistant, Inspector, and eventually as Income Tax Officer.

He held the position of Inspector from 2001 to 2009, and Income Tax Officer from 2009 until his arrest in 2015. He was caught red-handed accepting a bribe from a jeweler on March 31, 2015, leading to his immediate suspension.

Between April 1, 2006, and March 31, 2015, the total income made by Bhandari and his family was Rs 1.57 crore, while their expenditure was recorded at Rs 57.09 lakh.

The court found that Bhandari had illicitly earned Rs 26.6 lakh, or 26.46% of his total income during the review period, which was declared as illegally acquired property. In a separate bribery case, Bhandari was previously sentenced on September 26, 2025, to four years' imprisonment and a fine of '1.10 lakh. He had remained under suspension from 2015 until his retirement on September 29, 2017.

/IANS