New Delhi (05.07.2023): The New Delhi establishment is expected to appoint four new members in the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) which has been running with the depleted strength for over one-and-a-half-year. It is believed that the appointment of new members may be announced any time soon.

It may be underlined that twenty five candidates from 1987 and 1988 batches were interviewed by the selection committee on June 09 and June 21, 2023. Out of these twenty five candidates, four may become new member of CBDT -- the apex body for the policy and planning of direct taxes in India.

The seven-member board is currently running majorly on ad-hoc basis with four posts of member lying vacant including the key vertical of “Investigation”.

Accordingly, Board Chairman Nitin Gupta has been perpetually holding the additional charge of Member (Investigation); Subashree Anantkrishnan has two additional charges of Member (Admin & Faceless Scheme) and Member (Tax Payers Service) whereas Pragya Sahay Saksena holds the additional charge of Member (Income Tax & Revenue).

In the event of appointment of four new members, the strength of the Board will still remain a question as in all likelihood Member (Investigation) post may remain fused with Chairman post. Pragya Sahay Saksena will superannuate on 30.09.2024. So it appears that four awaiting members will add reasonable numbers to the depleted strength of the board.