NEW DELHI: Less than a week after activist Anna Hazare broke his fast with much fanfare, aggrieved Team Anna members claimed that the government was back to its 'dirty tricks' and was victimizing them for their campaign against corruption.

Hazare aide Arvind Kejriwal has received an Income Tax notice for dues of over Rs 9 lakh, a charge that he has hotly contested, saying it was not the I-T department but "political bosses" that have made them do this.

His colleague, Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan, linked the renewed urgency behind I-T department's move with MPs' complaints against Kiran Bedi's "ghoonghat act" and the Delhi Police claim that the CD with a purported conversation between his father Shanti Bhushan and Mulayam Singh Yadav was genuine.

Bhushan said, "This shows that the government has not learnt any lessons. The smear campaign is still on... There is a notice against Arvind. Delhi Police has closed the investigations in the CD case saying the disc is genuine. There is also a privilege notice against Bedi. They are back to dirty tricks. They are back to the dirty tricks department."

Bhushan plans to move court for contempt against Delhi Police's closure report and will ask for an independent probe by a court appointed special investigative team.

Meanwhile, Kejriwal questioned the timing of the notice that came 11 days ahead of Hazare's fast. Chief commissioner of Income Tax issued the notice to Kejriwal to clear the dues, claiming that he violated the bond clauses under which he went for study leave for two years. Kejriwal claimed he "did not violate" any bond provision and he resigned from his Indian Revenue Service job after the stipulated three years of rejoining duty after study leave. "It is not the I-T department's decision. They are doing what the government is saying. The I-T officials have no role in this notice. They are doing because of the pressure from political bosses," Kejriwal said.

Kejriwal said he had taken study leave on full pay for two years from November 1, 2000 and he rejoined work on November 1, 2002 after signing a bond that he would refund the salary if he resigned or retired or failed to resume duty within three years of his study leave. "I have not violated any provisions. What government is saying is wrong. After over one year of rejoining, I took leave without pay which was sanctioned by my superiors. I worked for RTI. I was not into any wrongdoing. I have not signed any bond that I will not take leave after rejoining," he said.

However, the government has been of the view that unpaid leave cannot be recognized as active service and Kejriwal should have worked in the department for three years before giving his resignation. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) had, in fact, recommended in 2008 that dues against Kejriwal be waived off but the Department of Personnel and Training did not agree to the proposition. In a latter dated April 22, 2008, the government asked the I-T department to "kindly recover pending dues from Shri Kejriwal as per leave rule and furnish a no dues certificate so that his resignation may be submitted for approval of competent authority".

Kejriwal said he had already informed the government that he did not have funds to pay off the Rs 9.27 lakh dues as he had donated all his savings, including Rs 30 lakh he got as awards. On the computer loan he took, he said he had asked the government to adjust it against his provident fund but it was not done.

"Now, government officials are visiting my relatives in my village Siwani and Hisar and making all kinds of enquiries. They have not been able to find anything against me so far," he said.

Referring to some media reports linking his uncle, who was killed in a road accident five years ago, with RSS, he asked what his relatives had to do with the anti-corruption movement. "There are some reports saying that my paternal uncle in his childhood used to go to RSS shakhas. What is wrong in that? What has he to do with our movement," he said.

On the privilege notice, Bedi said she would not apologise and would say, "I am sorry I will not say sorry to you. I will show a bigger mirror to them on what is happening in our Parliament and assemblies."

TNN

List of  corruption scandals: 

WIKILEAKS: 'CASH FOR VOTES'

There was uproar in India's parliament on 17 March after a leaked cable from the whistle-blowing Wikileaks website described how a senior Congress aide showed a US embassy official "chests of cash" allegedly used to bribe MPs to support the government in a crucial vote of confidence in 2008.

The vote was over a controversial deal between India and the US which paved the way for India to massively expand its nuclear power capability. The government's left-wing allies withdrew support, but Congress narrowly survived the vote. Opposition parties at the time accused the government of offering cash for votes.

The Congress party and all of those named in the cable deny the allegations.

The leak came just days after a new report by consultancy KPMG said that corruption threatened India's growth. It said that it wasn't simply the daily diet of petty bribes that hold back the economy, but the huge scams where billions of dollars are allegedly siphoned off by government and industry.

In July, two people - an aide of a politician and a political activist - were arrested in connection with the scandal. The Supreme Court criticised the police for carrying out a "shoddy probe".

A senior MP, Amar Singh, was also questioned after he was accused of offering to bribe opposition MPs to abstain from the vote. He denies the allegation.

ANTI-CORRUPTION CHIEF FORCED OUT

In early March the head of India's anti-corruption watchdog, PJ Thomas, was forced to resign by the Supreme Court on the grounds that he himself faces corruption charges.

The decision was an embarrassment for Manmohan Singh because he chaired the committee that cleared his appointment and publicly supported him.

Mr Thomas says the charges - which are 20 years old - are baseless. He has never been arrested and the charges have also never been tested by a judge in court.


TELECOMS LICENCES

In February, Telecommunications Minister Andimuthu Raja was arrested and accused of selling mobile phone frequency licences for a fraction of their value, in what some analysts are calling India's biggest ever scandal.

His colleague in the southern DMK party, MP Kanimozhi, was arrested in connection with the scandal in May and is in jail. She is the daughter of M Karunanidhi, one of India's most powerful regional politicians and an important ally of the Congress-led federal government.

In July, the scandal claimed a third politician - India's Textile Minister Dayanidhi Maran resigned following allegations that he coerced the founder of the mobile phone firm Aircel to sell off his stake to a firm favoured by the minister. He denies the allegation.

Auditors estimate the alleged mis-selling of the licences cost the exchequer nearly $40bn (£24.5bn) in lost revenue. Mr Raja is accused of issuing the frequency licences on a "first-come, first-served" basis instead of auctioning them.

He denies all the charges.

The net of police investigators has been cast wide and they have questioned business leaders, TV bosses and political figures in connection with the alleged scam.

In February the government was forced to cave in to opposition demands to hold a cross-party probe into the telecoms scandal.

In March, a former aide of Mr Raja, who owned a real estate company, committed suicide.


MAHARASHTRA WIDOWS

In November 2010 Ashok Chavan, the chief minister of Maharashtra, one of India's most prosperous states, was forced to quit over his alleged role in a scam involving homes for war widows.

Retired senior army officers and relatives of senior politicians are accused of helping themselves to apartments meant for war widows in Mumbai.

Mr Chavan denies any wrongdoing. He was ordered to resign by Congress leaders while the matter is investigated.

COMMONWEALTH GAMES


The 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi were beset by more than poor organisation: police arrested various Games officials for alleged financial irregularities.

The build-up to the event was overshadowed by revelations of sleaze, incompetence and missed construction deadlines.

And in January, yet another Congress party head rolled when Suresh Kalmadi, the Games organising committee chief, was removed from this post.

He has been under investigation over claims of corruption and denies any wrongdoing.

In August, a report by India's state auditor tabled in parliament said preparations for the Games were deeply flawed, riddled with favouritism and vastly over budget.

It said there were serious irregularities with bidding and contracts, and that the seven years organisers had to prepare were wasted.

The games cost $4.1bn (£2.5bn) instead of the $270m (£166m) first estimated, while revenue was only $38m (£23m).

The government said parliament would reflect on the report and "decide what needs to be done".

MINING SCANDAL

BS Yeddyurappa of India's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) quit as chief minister of the southern state of Karnataka in July after he was indicted in a mining scandal.

An anti-corruption report alleges the scam cost the exchequer more than $3bn (£1.8bn) between 2006 and 2010. Mr Yeddyurappa denies any wrongdoing.

Correspondents say illegal mining has been rife for years in Karnataka. The state produces about 45 million tonnes of iron ore a year and exports more than half of it to China.

The anti-corruption report on mining in Karnataka found that the promoters of privately owned mining companies in the Bellary region - where most of the mines are located - paid off politicians, and then joined politics themselves, rising to positions in the state government.

These mining businessmen-turned-politicians exerted so much influence over the local officials that the Indian media began describing Bellary as a "new republic".