The Delhi High Court on Thursday rejected four fresh petitions moved by the Indian National Congress against the Income Tax (IT) reassessment proceedings initiated against it by the IT Department.
The Division Bench of Justice Yashwant Varma and Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav dismissed the petitions after both the Congress and the IT Department agreed to the fact that the latest petitions stand covered by the judgment recently pronounced by the High Court over certain other assessment years.
On March 22, the High Court had dismissed the petitions filed by the Congress to challenge the re-assessment proceedings for assessment years 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17.
The four petitions, which the High Court today dismissed, challenged the fresh scrutiny initiated by the IT Department for assessment years 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21.
On March 22, the Court, while rejecting the petitions filed by Congress in relation to the years 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17, had remarked that the IT Department prima facie had “substantial and concrete evidence” to further scrutinise the political party’s income under the IT Act.
Earlier on March 13, the High Court had rejected a petition filed by the Congress against an order of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) rejecting its plea for stay on the demand notice issued by IT department for the recovery of nearly Rs 105 crore in outstanding taxes.
The Bench of Justice Yashwant Varma and Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav had said there was no reason to interfere with the ITAT order.
However, the Court had allowed Congress to move a fresh application for a stay before the ITAT, bearing in mind the developments that have occurred in the meanwhile including the recovery of an amount of Rs 65.94 crore from the party.