Justice delayed but not denied: A special CBI court has finally clamped down on a 2007-era excise duty rebate racket, sentencing three culprits to three years behind bars and Rs 50,000 fines each. The Rs 1.18 crore fraud shook Surat’s revenue streams through brazen forgery.
The guilty parties—Tejas Arvindbhai Desai, Amit Muralilal Gupta, and the elusive Sameer Fateh Mohammad Imamuddin—exploited fake export papers linked to M/S Sain Impex. Over 51 claims, they illicitly grabbed Rs 1,18,39,833, as unearthed by CBI sleuths post-2009 FIR.
Charges were framed against four, but Ghanshyam Gordhanbhai Rapliya’s death mid-trial spared him. The court, sifting through evidence, branded the act a deliberate assault on government treasury.
This protracted battle underscores the resilience of India’s investigative and judicial framework. From initial detection to verdict, it spanned nearly two decades, navigating procedural hurdles and one fatality.
In today’s context, with GST streamlining duties, such verdicts deter relics of the old regime. They affirm that no amount of time shields economic offenders. Enforcement agencies now gear up to nab the fugitive, closing this infamous chapter on corruption.