The declaration was made by him when officials of the Income Tax department searched his South Delhi residence.

Ripples were sent through the capital’s legal circles when a lawyer practising in the Delhi High Court and Supreme Court declared unaccounted income of over Rs 125 crore. The declaration was made by him when officials of the Income Tax department searched his South Delhi residence. According to a TOI report, the lawyer, who first came to the limelight when he bought a bungalow in central Delhi for Rs 100 crore, is reputed to be well networked in legal circles. Sources in the I-T department said their search threw up documents about several other properties of the lawyer, besides his investments allegedly in shell companies.

The “search” on the lawyer coincides with a larger I-T drive against “consultants”, “lobbyists” and others with a reputation for getting things done. The operation has focused on those engaged with sectors such as aviation, infrastructure and defence and departments like I-T and customs. The exercise had earlier led the I-T department to Sanjay Bhandari, who deals in the defence sector, Deepak Talwar, “a corporate consultant” known for his deep “insights” into aviation and roads-highways sectors as well as links with influential politicians and PN Sanyal, a well known-figure in the income tax-customs community.The I-T searches on the lawyer’s premises came just within a week of the closure on September 30 of the government’s income disclosure scheme, a four-month window for declaring unaccounted money.