The Indian National Congress (INC) has reportedly moved the Delhi High Court seeking a stay on an Income Tax notice demanding the recovery of more than Rs 105 crore as outstanding tax. The Congress party's move suggests a legal challenge to contest the tax demand issued by the Income Tax Department. It's indicative of a legal battle unfolding between the political party and the tax authorities. Senior Advocate Vivek Tankha mentioned the matter before Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela which allowed urgent listing of the matter for today.
Also Read: Income Tax Appellate Tribunal Denies Congress Plea for Stay on Bank Account Freeze
On Friday Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) order dismissed the stay plea against the Income Tax Department proceedings of recovery and freezing of their Bank accounts. The Congress then requested a 10-day stay on the order so that the party could approach the High Court. However, the bench declined the request. The Indian National Congress (INC) is embroiled in a contentious income tax case with the IT Department concerning tax claims for the assessment year (AY) 2018-19. Initially, a claim of Rs 103 crores was filed, which was later revised to Rs 105 crores. However, with the inclusion of Rs 30 crores as interest, the claim escalated to Rs 135 crores. Earlier, the Congress had appealed before the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) alleging that the tax department "undemocratically" withdrew a sum of Rs 65 crore from its accounts in different banks. On February 16, the main bank accounts of the Congress were frozen. However, the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal later allowed them to operate bank accounts pending further hearings. The Congress then appealed before the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal alleging that the tax department "undemocratically" withdrew a sum of Rs 65 crore from its accounts in different banks.