The Delhi High Court has once again dealt a blow to the Congress party by dismissing its petitions challenging the reassessment proceedings initiated by the Income Tax Department. It’s notable that previously, the court had stayed the department’s reassessment actions for the financial years 2014-15, 2015-16, and 2016-17, in response to petitions filed by the party against the tax authorities’ actions. Today’s ruling does not bode well for the Congress.
Income Tax Notice and Account Freeze:
On February 13, the Income Tax Department had issued a notice to the Congress party demanding the payment of overdue taxes amounting to 105 crore rupees. Additionally, a penalty of 210 crore rupees was imposed on the party. Moreover, the Congress party’s bank accounts were frozen as part of this enforcement action. Although the Congress had filed a petition against this move, it has now been dismissed by the court.
Congress Opposes Reassessment:
The Congress party has been consistently opposing the reassessment proceedings initiated by the Income Tax Department. Mallikarjun Kharge, the National President of Congress, criticized the freezing of their bank accounts, stating that it’s an attempt to prevent them from participating in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. He squarely blamed the central government for the IT department’s actions and accused them of trying to thwart their electoral efforts.
