If passed, the Income Tax Bill, 2025 will replace the Income Tax Act of 1961.
New Delhi: In a response to a query raised in the Rajya Sabha regarding if income tax officials could access an individual’s social media accounts, emails and more, the centre gave a reply and a clarification through a written reply.
Pankaj Chaudhary, Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, responded to a query raised by West Bengal Rajya Sabha MP Ritabrata Banerjee.
In a written reply, Chaudhary stated that Section 132 of the Income Tax Act, 1961, authorised officials to inspect books of account or documents maintained in electronic form, but only during search and seizure operations.
Citing Clause (t) of Sub-section (1) of Section 2 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, the government stated that income tax officials can demand access to digital records during such operations if the individual under investigation is in possession or control of them.
The Centre also added that in cases of search and seizure, where access codes to electronic devices are unavailable and the concerned person refuses to cooperate, authorised officers can override the codes and gain access.
Recently, with the enactment of the new Income Tax Bill, 2025, the government granted tax officials the power to infiltrate emails, social media accounts and cloud storage on a mere suspicion of financial impropriety.
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Once considered to be private and protected by strong encryption and data security laws, these digital spaces have now come under government scrutiny. The provision, Clause 247, will expand the powers of tax authorities without judicial oversight or procedural safeguards. The rule is set to come into effect on April 1, 2026.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Income Tax Bill, 2025, in Parliament in March. If passed, the new bill will replace the Income Tax Act of 1961.
