TIOL-DDT 2830 · the untouched capture
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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd"> <html> <head> <title>Untitled Document</title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> </head> <body> <p><a href="http://www.taxindiaonline.com/RC2/inside2.php3?filename=bnews_detail.php3&newsid=23157"><img src="http://www.taxindiaonline.com/RC2/image/stories/limca_book2015_1.jpg" alt="DDT in Limca Book of Records - Third Time in a row" width="300" height="148" hspace="5" border="0" align="right" ></a><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong><font color="#663399" size="3">TIOL-DDT 2830</font><br> 22 04 2016<br> Friday </strong></font></p> <p align="center"><font size="3" face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif"><strong><em><font color="#006600">Customs Officers Sentenced to six years imprisonment 23 years after prosecution was launched</font></em></strong></font></p> <p><em><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>A</strong> Customs Story - Dramatis personae: </font></em></p> <blockquote> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">1. Surjit Singh Tagore, Superintendent, Customs (Drawback) <br> </font><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">2. Rajinder Singh, Inspector, Customs, ICD Tughlakabad <br> </font><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">3. BS Meena, Inspector, Customs <br> </font><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">4. RS Meena, Inspector, Customs </font></p> </blockquote> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">It was a long journey - 23 years to be precise and no, there is no light at the end of the tunnel - what they got at the end is a jail term. </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In the year 1993, the above mentioned Customs officers were charged with assisting some persons to claim fraudulent drawback by signing fake shipping bills and certifying to have sealed non-existing containers. Around 11 lakh rupees have been fraudulently taken as drawback with the active connivance and support of the Customs officers. </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The CBI booked a case and prosecuted these officers. After 23 years, the CBI court delivered its verdict this month. </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Court found all of them guilty. While arguing on sentence, the Public Prosecutor submitted: </font></p> <blockquote> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">1. The offences for which the accused persons have been convicted effects the society at large and prays for maximum punishment and fine. </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">2. The accused persons have been convicted for the crime committed for economic offences which affects the economy of the country. All convicts have committed such offences while they were holding responsible posts as public servants and ultimately it affected the dreams of billions of people of this country towards the attainment of self-dependency of this country. </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">3. The accused persons are not small people. They are highly educated persons holding high educational qualifications and are role model of the people and the society where they used to sit and live. </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">4. If such people are allowed to go scot free or only awarded minimum sentences then definitely it will convey wrong message to the society to the effect that nothing would happen if one does corruption. </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">5. These people misused their education and worked to put obstructions against the growth of this country. </font></p> </blockquote> <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Counsel for the accused submitted that the accused Superintendent was: </font></p> <blockquote> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">1. 75 years old </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">2. Suffering from chronic kidney failure disease with increased serum creatinine and GFR fall. </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">3. Suffering from Neuro (Brain) problem for the last 14 years. He suffered stroke due to blood clot in brain due to which he suffered paralytic attack. </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">4. Also suffering from heart problem and is in first degree heart block and intermittent 2nd degree <font color="#000000">atrioventricular</font> block. He is also stated to be suffering from chronic problem of blood sugar (Diabetes). He is also suffering from liver problem, herpes, backache, vision loss and hearing impairment. </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">5. Taking atleast 20 medicines on daily basis. He is under medical supervision in Jail Medical Inspection Room after he was sent to jail after conviction on07.04.2016. </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">6. His wife is 67 years of age who is also suffering from Neuro (depression) problem, High BP,weakness of bones and various other old age ailments. He also suffered due to prolonged trial of 23 years. </font></p> </blockquote> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Court was not impressed and observed, </font></p> <blockquote> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">1. Long pendency of the trial or long time taken to conclude trial does not make a ground for mitigating sentence. Therefore, arguments raised by learned defence counsel to take lenient view due to such facts is not going to help the convicts.</font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">2. The Court has to consider important fact that all the accused persons in this case are educated persons. A person committed offence when having sense of judgment to differentiate between right or wrong, should be given harsher punishment. </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">3. Court can take judicial notice of public behaviour that whenever a culprit committed crime on the road, the entire public catches the culprit and handled in such a way that half of the punishment got by that culprit on the road itself. </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">4. in this country most of the people have made the way of corruption as their way of living style as it appears to them the easiest route to get early success and easy wealth. </font></p> </blockquote> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Sentence: </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Court awarded a sentence of Simple Imprisonment for a period of six years with a fine of Rs. 10 lakhs on the Superintendent. Simple imprisonment has been awarded keeping in view his advanced age of 75 years. </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Inspectors are awarded a sentence of six years rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs. 10 lakhs each. </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The trial is perhaps harsher than the sentence. For 23 years, these powerful officers of the Customs Department must have undergone terrible agony running around lawyers and courts and the final judgement is not yet over. There is still the High Court and the Supreme Court with jail in between. </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Corruption doesn't really pay. </font></p> <p align="center"><font size="3" face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif"><strong><em><font color="#006600"><a name="f1"></a>Minimum Import Price of Steel - DGFT Clarification </font></em></strong></font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>VIDE</strong> Notification No.38 dated 5th February, 2016, Government has imposed Minimum Import Prices (MIP) on 173 tariff lines under Chapter 72 (Iron & Steel). The same Notification also protects imports/shipments after 5th Feb, 2016, which are negotiated and finalised under Irrevocable Letter of Credits (ILCs) before the date of the said Notification under Para 1.05(b) of FTP, provided these ILCs are registered with Jurisdictional RAs within a period of 15 days. </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Representations have been received from some importers who opened ILCs under Para 1.05 of FTP but missed the deadline of registering ILCs with the RAs within the prescribed time limit (15 days from the date of Notification). </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Policy Relaxation Committee (PRC) in its meeting dated 11.4.2016 has considered these representations and recommended that an opportunity be given to importers who have finalized their ILCs before 5th February, 2016, to register these ILCs with their concerned jurisdictional RAs, by relaxing the provision of registration of TLC's within 15 days. </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Now,DGFT has relaxed the provision of registration of ILCs within 15 days, for importers who have finalized their ILCs for imports/shipments of items covered under Notification No.38 dated 5th February, 2016 before the date of notification and grants them the opportunity to register their ILCs with their concerned jurisdictional RAs, by 30th April, 2016. The importers will submit their request along with ANF-2D with prescribed fee of Rs. 2000/- as prescribed for policy relaxation. </font></p> <p><a href="http://www.taxindiaonline.com/RC2/notDesc.php?MpoQSrPnM=MTk1NjE=" target="_blank"><strong><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">DGFT Trade Notice No. 03/2016., Dated: April 21, 2016 </font></strong></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="3" face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif"><strong><em><font color="#006600"><a name="f2"></a>FTP - Implementation of Track and Trace system for export of Pharmaceuticals and drug consignments</font></em></strong></font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>DGFT</strong> has amended Para 2 (v) of the Public Notice No. <strong><a href="http://www.taxindiaonline.com/RC2/notDesc.php?MpoQSrPnM=MTkwMDM=" target="_blank">52/2015-2020</a></strong> dated 05.01.2016 to stipulate that: </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In case, the Government of the importing country has mandated a specific requirement, the exporter has the option of adhering to the same and in such a case, it would not be necessary to comply with the stipulation of bar coding and if an exporter is seeking to avail such exemption from bar coding prescribed by the Government of India, the exporter is given the option to move an application to the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil) for this purpose, clearly specifying the nature of such an exemption in the interest of the exports from the country. However, the tertiary level of packaging will have additional printing of barcode in addition to importing country's requirement, if any. </font></p> <p><a href="http://www.taxindiaonline.com/RC2/notDesc.php?MpoQSrPnM=MTk1NjA=" target="_blank"><strong><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">DGFT Public Notice No. 03/2015-2020., Dated: April 21, 2016 </font></strong></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="3" face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif"><strong><em><font color="#006600"><a name="f3"></a>Customs - New Exchange Rates from Today </font></em></strong></font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>CBEC</strong> has notified new exchange rates for Imported Goods and for Export Goods with effect from today. The USD is 66.90 for imports and 65.85 Rupees for exports. </font></p> <p align="left"><a href="http://www.taxindiaonline.com/RC2/notDesc.php?MpoQSrPnM=MTk1NTg=" target="_blank"><strong><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Notification No. 55/2016-Cus (NT)., Dated: April 21, 2016 </font></strong></a></p> <p align="center"><font size="3" face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif"><strong><em><font color="#006600"><a name="f4"></a>CBEC Chairman with Customs Cadet Corps </font></em></strong></font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>CBEC </strong>Chairman Najib Shah visited and interacted with the cadets of the Pilot Project of ‘Customs Cadet Corps' at Cochin, last week. </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="http://www.taxindiaonline.com/RC2/image/stories/ddt_2830_imag.jpg" alt="Legal Corner Icon" width="95" height="110" hspace="5" border="0" align="left">Customs Cadet Corps is an initiative by Cochin Customs and aims at connecting the Department with the general public. The idea of forming a student force under the umbrella of the Custom House was mooted by Dr. K N Raghavan, Commissioner of Customs, Cochin, in the year 2015 (<strong><a href="http://www.taxindiaonline.com/RC2/NewsDesc.php?MpoQSrPnM=MjQzMDI=" target="_blank">DDT 2655 04 08 2015</a></strong>). It envisages to groom school children, give them a better understanding of the working of customs department, and guide them to be responsible citizens. </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Corps sport specifically designed logo, uniform and a slogan 'We support- Safeguarding economic frontiers'. </font></p> <p align="center"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="http://www.taxindiaonline.com/RC2/image/stories/Chairman_cbec_2830.jpg" alt="Legal Corner Icon" width="450" height="230" hspace="5" border="0" align="center"></font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Pilot project launched at Government Higher Secondary School, Mangayil, Maradu, Cochin has been imparting training to a batch of 21 cadets since June 2015. </font></p> <p align="justify"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The exposure imparted to the students by Customs Cadet Corps covers the functioning of Customs Department, field visits to the Seaport, ocean going vessels, sea patrolling, International Airport, involvement in facilitation of international passengers at the Airport, training sessions on personality development, communication skills, self defence, social responsibility and other skill sets to groom them for future, over and above basic lessons of a uniformed service. The cadets rubbed shoulders with the uniformed officers of Customs at the Independence Day parade conducted at Custom House, Cochin this year. </font></p> <p><font color="#FF6666" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Until Monday with more <strong>DDT</strong></font></p> <p><strong><font color="#FF6666" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Have a nice weekend. </font></strong></p> <p><font color="#FF6666" size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Mail your comments to</font><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <a href="mailto:vijaywrite@tiol.in" target="_blank"><strong>vijaywrite@tiol.in </strong></a></font></p> </body> </html>