The Vigilance Department in Kanpur has registered a case against Keshav Lal, a retired Additional Commissioner of the Commercial Tax Department. He is accused of having assets much higher than his income.
This action was taken after it was found that his investments and spending during his service were far more than his official earnings.
In 2017, the Income Tax Department raided his house in Noida. During the raid, a large amount of cash and gold was found. An investigation started in August 2023 later revealed that his total assets are worth more than ₹100 crore.
After getting approval from the state government, an FIR has now been registered against him under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The case started in 2017 when Keshav Lal was posted in Kanpur. During the raid, officials found ₹10 crore in cash and gold jewellery worth ₹3 crore at his house in Sector-34, Noida.
Cash bundles were hidden in different places such as the prayer room, cupboards, mattress, and even inside the bathroom flush tank. He could not explain the source of this money.
The investigation also found that he invested large amounts of money in many cities across Uttar Pradesh, including his home district Chandauli.
He owns two luxury bungalows in Lucknow and also has properties in Kanpur, Prayagraj, Ghaziabad, and Noida. The Vigilance Department believes these properties were bought using illegal money.
According to the report, his total legal income during his career was only ₹1.34 crore. However, his total spending and investments were more than ₹18.27 crore.
This means he spent around ₹17.26 crore more than his actual income. Due to this, and his estimated assets of over ₹100 crore, the government had already forced him to retire in 2017.
