Delhi High Court Dismisses Congress Plea Against Tax Re-Assessment Proceedings

After dismissing an earlier petition filed by the Congress party, the Delhi High Court on Thursday rejected the party’s fresh plea challenging the Income Tax reassessment proceedings launched by the department against the party.

The petition was heard by a division bench comprising Justices Yashwant Varma and Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav. The bench rejected the plea after the both the parties came to agree that the latest petitions stand covered by the judgment recently issued by the Court concerning certain other assessments years. The latest four petitions were for other assessment years that the IT Department has initiated new scrutiny.

On March 22, the Court rejected the Congress party”s petition to challenge the re-assessment proceedings for assessment years 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17. The Court had then remarked that the IT Department had “substantial and concrete evidence” to further investigate the Congress party”s income under the IT Act.

Earlier on March 13, the Court had rejected another plea by the Congress seeking its intervention against the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) dismissal of the party”s plea for a stay on the money recovery by the IT department. The Court while rejecting the petition had remarked that there was no reason to interfere with the Income Tax Tribunal order. Notably, the Court had permitted the Congress party to move fresh applications for stay, considering the developments including the recovery of the money from the party”s bank account.

However, the grand old party is facing several tax-relaxed proceedings in recent days, and it has met with back-to-back rejections when it moved the Court challenging the IT Department”s proceedings.

However, the Congress party which is facing back-to-back tax- proceedings has accused the BJP government of financially crippling the main opposition party. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi recently raised his “concern” over the freezing of the party”s bank accounts ahead of the “general elections.”