Contesting an Income Tax notice to him over money he owes the government, Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal has claimed he did not breach any bond norms. However, in a June 2007 letter, he had admitted to having violated the pledge he had signed before proceeding on a two-year study leave from his government service, adding this was done in “larger public interest”.
“At the time of taking study leave, I had signed a bond that I will return and work for the government for at least two years. I joined back the department on 1 November 2002. However, I worked only for one year to 31 October 2003 and again took extraordinary leave (EOL) without pay from 1 November 2003 to go back to my work on RTI,” Kejriwal wrote on June 26, 2007.
“I could have worked for another year and completed the bond conditions. I would have earned a salary also during that period. However, I decided to take EOL to go back to my mission of working for larger public interest,” said the Indian Revenue Service officer in his letter to the chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), a copy of which is with The Indian Express. (Indian Express)
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