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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Arvind Kejriwal in a tight spot over I-T notice

Arvind Kejriwal in a tight spot over I-T notice

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published Published on Sep 3, 2011   modified Modified on Sep 3, 2011

-The Economic Times

 

Prominent activist and key Anna associate Arvind Kejriwal claimed the income-tax notice asking him to pay dues of 9 lakh to the government is prompted by "political bosses" and without merit.

The notice was slapped on him in August, days before Anna started the second round of his indefinite anti-graft hunger strike.

The I-T notice and related developments threatened to deteriorate into yet another nasty row between Team Anna and the government as Anna Hazare and other members of his campaign slammed the government's move as motivated.

Justice Santosh Hegde said the government is taking vindictive steps against Team Anna. The I-T department has also served a notice on Kumar Vishwas, another member of Team Anna.

"I have not violated any rule. In 2006, when I had resigned from the service, I had written to the government to deduct my dues from my general provident fund (GPF)," Kejriwal said, claiming that he received no response from the government. Speaking at a press conference, Kejriwal said the government is "cracking down" on Team Anna.

Government sources said a notice was served on Kejriwal first in 2007 and the subsequent notice in August was only a follow-up and was unrelated to the former Indian Revenue Service officer's central role in the Anna campaign. Kejriwal did not respond to a text message seeking comment.

Kejriwal, however, claimed at the press conference that a number of officials from the Intelligence Bureau and other government agencies are visiting his relatives in Siwani in Haryana regularly, harassing them and asking them to provide information on him.

Kejriwal took study leave from the government between November 2000 and October 2002. Kejriwal again went on leave without pay in 2004. Subsequently, he resigned from the service in February 2006. During 2000-2002, Kejriwal was paid a salary, under the condition that he would not leave the service for at least three years upon returning from the study leave. Kejriwal argued that since he did not resign till well after three years, there has been no violation of the bond conditions.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), Kejriwal's employer (technically the activist is still a government employee as his resignation has not been accepted as he has been unable to produce a no-dues certificate), said in a statement on Friday that the department of personnel and training (DoPT) had rejected Kejriwal's request for a waiver of dues even though CBDT was itself in favour of it.

It's unclear on what grounds the DoPT found Kejriwal to have violated the terms of the study leave.

Going on unpaid leave again in 2004 could have been the reason. Kejriwal said in a statement that this is a misinterpretation of the conditions of the government bond. Kejriwal has been asked to immediately pay more than 9 lakh in dues to the government. This includes salary dues, interest on salary dues, an unpaid computer loan and interest on the unpaid amount.

Kejriwal said in the statement that he had repeatedly requested that the outstanding amount on a loan he had taken to purchase a computer be deducted from his General Provident Fund, but no one responded, he claims.

Income-tax department sources said action was taken on August 5 only after Kejriwal's papers were transferred from Chandigarh. Kejriwal had resigned from the Indian Revenue Service when he was posted at Chandigarh. He had resigned from service in February, 2006.

Law minister Salman Khurshid said the I-T notices are a routine matter.

"It is unfair that allegations are made against government departments about their routine duties. If there are dues, they have to be paid. It certainly does not build up a case of government versus anybody. Why we should be oppressive and revengeful," the law minister told reporters at the briefing of the GoM on media.

The Bhartiya Janata Party, however, raised questions about I-T notices against dissenters such as Kejriwal and Baba Ramdev. "It is very amusing and rather very incidental that all these people who have raised their voice against the government end up landing up with notices," said BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy.

Meanwhile, speaking to a large gathering in his village Ralegaon Siddhi, Anna Hazare said the officialdom is full of "liars". He singled out Home Minister P Chidambaram for attack, saying he raised many hurdles in the way of his agitation.

The Economic Times, 3 September, 2011, http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/arvind-kejriwal-in-a-tight-spot-over-i-t-notice/articleshow/9841767.cms


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