HC seeks IT's status report of Jain-Hawala accused persons

HC seeks IT's status report of Jain-Hawala accused persons
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NEW DELHI, MARCH 14: The Delhi High Court today sought from the Centre a status report on the alleged findings of Income Tax Department that 17 politicians and bureaucrats, chargesheeted by CBI in the Jain-Hawala case, had acquired income disproportionate to their known sources of income.

The 17 probed by Income Tax Department in this regard included Union Ministers Yashwant Sinha, L K Advani, Sharad Yadav and Ajit Panja.

A division Bench comprising Chief Justice Arijit Passayat and Justice D K Jain sought status report on the latest position of the case after Solicitor General Harish Salve said "the probe in the matter was almost over".

Pleading for a chamber hearing of a petition seeking action against these persons, Salve said "we have to explain the procedure" adopted in this regard.

He said in the status report, the latest position would be given but it might not be possible to explain the procedure followed by the Tax authorities.

Following his request, the Court adjourned the hearing on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by local scribe O P Tapas to March 20.

Tapas in his petition had sought follow up action against the 17 persons regarding tax recoveries, on the ground that two IT officers had prepared separate investigative reports against them, which stated that their income during 1989-91 was found to be disproportionate to their known sources of income.

The petitioner further said the report also stated that investigations were made against former Union Minister Arif Mohammed Khan, former bureaucrats H K Khan, Prakash Bhatia and Basan Ravdhankne.

It department's additional director (investigation) B D Sinha in an affidavit filed earlier, admitted that the two officials had investigated the matter against 18 hawala accused persons chargesheeted in the Jain-hawala scam case.

He stated that separate appraisal reports against each of them were forwarded to the concerned assessing officials.

The affidavit said no investigation was conducted against Babu Ram whose name also figured in the list.

Meanwhile, Tapas today moved an application in the court through his counsel Ashok Kumar Singh alleging that he was receiving threats from various quarters.

Singh, seeking a report from the government about the follow up action against the persons probed by it department, said his client was being "pressurised" to withdraw the pil.

The court said his application would be taken up for hearing on the next date.