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NEW DELHI: Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday informed the Delhi high court that the income tax (I-T) department had “mala fide” intention in sending reassessment notice to Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YI). Sonia and her son Rahul Gandhi , who is the current president of Congress, are major stakeholders of YI.

Appearing for Sonia, senior counsel P Chidambaram informed a bench of justices S Ravindra Bhat and AK Chawla that she had not earned any income as a shareholder of YI, which had acquired Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publishers of National Herald newspaper. “She received nothing from YI except for the shares that she bought,” Chidambaram argued, saying that she had filed correct tax return in 2011-12 and that the taxman had “mala fide” intention.

The court was hearing the plea of Sonia and her party colleague Oscar Fernandes against a March 31 I-T notice, seeking tax reassessment. The I-T department had issued notices to Sonia and Fernandes for allegedly not disclosing their income earned through YI in 2011-2012.

In a related development, the HC on Tuesday declined a plea made on behalf of Rahul put certain restrictions on the media with regard to reporting on his petition against reopening of his 2011-12 tax assessment. His lawyers had urged the court to order that confidentiality be maintained regarding the contents of the petition and reporting of the matter be confined to arguments in the court.

The HC said it could not “go into all this” as it would be akin to going on a “wild goose chase”. Appearing for the I-T department, additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta told the court that the department had reopened the tax assessment of Rahul as he had suppressed information that he was a director of YI. Further hearing of the case will be held on August 16.

