NDTV friendly officers in the Finance Ministry transfer the Assessing Officer and DC-IT who has been handling the case for the past six years

Time for PMO to intervene

In a shocking development today, the Income Tax Officer who has been assessing the NDTV Tax fraud cases, Assessing Officer and Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax Bhupinderjit Kumar, has been transferred to an unimportant section handing judicial cases. Bhupinderjit Kumar has been working for the past 6 years handing the NDTV’s tax frauds and had slapped a fine of around Rs.860 crores[1] and attached 30 percent shares of the corrupt TV channel[2], held by Prannoy Roy’s shell company RRPR Holding Private Limited.

It is high time the PMO plugged the crooked and corrupt activities of top officers in Finance Ministry.

Recently the honest officer started recovery and criminal proceedings against NDTV and its promoters like Prannoy Roy wife Radhika Roy, who are facing an Income Tax fine of Rs.30 crores each[3]. To prevent the recovery action and to thwart instituting criminal prosecution, all the corrupt people have forced Finance Ministry under Arun Jaitley to remove Bhupinderjit Kumar.

According to many officers in the Income Tax department, Bhupinderjit Kumar was initiating criminal action against NDTV promoters if the dues were not paid by March 31, 2018. He was also moving files for recovering the balance. The 30 percent attachment of NDTV shares was valued only at about Rs.80 crores and the Income Tax officers were planning to attach the immovable properties also. It is a known thing in the Income Tax officers that for the past four years, Prannoy Roy has been lobbying for getting the non-pliable Bhupinderjit Kumar from his post.

A few months back, the Finance Ministry had transferred Income Tax Commissioner Sanjay Mishra from NDTV’s Tax circle. After BJP leader Subramanian Swamy’s complaint, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had reinstated the Income Tax Commissioner.

It is high time the PMO plugged the crooked and corrupt activities of top officers in Finance Ministry.

References:

[1] The tax dues of NDTV are Rs.864 crores. IT Dept. should attach the Bank accounts of NDTV to recover the dues – Feb 2, 2018, PGurus.com

[2] Big blow to NDTV: IT Dept. seizes shell company of Prannoy Roy Stakeholder in NDTV – Oct 27, 2017, PGurus.com

[3] IT fines Prannoy Roy and wife a fine of Rs. 30 crores each – Nov 20,2017, PGurus.com