Former IRS officer and key Reliance executive dies in Switzerland

FORMER Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer and key advisor to Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), Sandeep Tandon is no more. Mr Tandon, a 1975 batch IRS who took voluntary retirement initially to study, and then to join as an advisor to India’s largest company RIL on taxation, international law and liaison matters, died in Switzerland’s Zurich on Wednesday. Born in 1951, he was nearing 60 when he died.

Besides his wife Anu Tandon, a Congress MP from Unnao in Uttar Pradesh, Tandon is survived by his two sons Shalin Tandon and Sachin Tandon.

As an IRS officer, he hogged the limelight several time including when he was the director, enforcement, I-T and investigated foreign front companies floated by Reliance. He also conducted a raid in the house of Tina Ambani, wife of Anil Ambani, now chairman of ADAG group. After taking VRS from the I-T, Mr Tandon studied law, first in Delhi University and then at Robert Kennedy University in Switzerland. He developed a specialization in international law and taxation.

In fact, the entire Tandon family is closely connected to Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani’s family, as both his sons work for the company and his MP wife used to be the Managing Director of MoTech Software Pvt. Ltd, a firm launched by Mukesh Ambani. Thanks to their clout in Mumbai, even Bollywood actor Salman Khan specially campaigned for Anu Tandon in her constituency during the last general elections.

Action and Appointments

a) The ACC has approved the proposal for extension of Inter-Cadre deputation of Hari Krishan Paliwal, a 1981 batch UP cadre IAS from Uttar Pradesh cadre to AGMUT(Arunachal Pradesh) cadre for a period of 3 years beyond February 28, 2010.

b) V Srinivas, a 1989 batch Rajasthan cadre IAS has been appointed as Joint Secretary, in the ministry of textiles.

c) The competent authority has approved the proposal for assignment of additional charge of the post of Central Provident Fund Commissioner (CPFC) Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) to SK Srivastava, a 1978 batch Assam cadre IAS, additional secretary in the ministry of labour and employment, in addition to his own charge for a period of three months with effect from February 23, 2010.

d) Dhiman Chandra Pattanayak, a 1982 batch IRSEE officer has been appointed as Financial Adviser(joint secretary level) in the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) at Mumbai.