Ajwani arrest: PC means business

It was a warning that the Minister had given the I-T, Excise and Customs commissioners when he met them for the first time a few weeks ago. Chidambaram laid the ground rules: No corruption, no favours, even if somebody told them the Finance Minister himself desired it.

But when his words of caution were lost on the team, Chidambaram chose to set a few examples, Ajwani being one of them. ‘‘This system is based on seniority and level, not performance, and there is no churning of the system possible. I can only convey the seriousness of my message through such actions,’’ he said.

In fact, Chidambaram’s Budget had said tax reforms would be his priority and this is an example of it. If there is a clean-up in the hierarchy of the taxman, on one hand, there are other reforms which the Ministry is now poised to follow.

CBI keeps polygraph test option open

MUMBAI: CBI is toying with the option of conducting a lie-detector test on suspended Central Excise Commissioner P. K. Ajwani. Special public prosecutor Ejaz Khan disclosed this while seeking extension of his remand.