‘Furnish orders to prosecute family of Chidambaram’

CHENNAI:THE Income-Tax department has been directed by Madras High Court to furnish copies of the orders granting sanction to prosecute Nalini, wife of former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, her son Karti and daughter-in-law Srinidhi under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act.

The first bench of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice P T Asha gave the directive when a batch of petitions from the trio came up for hearing on Tuesday. The bench also directed the authority to furnish a copy of the prosecution complaint before June 19.

The I-T department lodged a complaint under Sec. 55 of the Black Money Act against the three for alleged offence of non-disclosure of the assets worth about `5.37 crore in Cambridge in UK before the Special Court for Economic Offences.

Apart from this, the department has alleged that Karti had failed to disclose an overseas bank account he holds with Metro Bank in UK and investments he had made in Nano Holdings LLC in USA.

Appearing party-in-person, Nalini submitted that the officer who had issued the sanction for prosecution was not the competent person and the court in which the complaint lodged was also not the competent one. Law mandates that a special court must be established to hear cases under the Black Money Act. But, so far, the Centre has not notified any such special court.

Representing the IT department, Additional Solicitor-General submitted they are ready to satisfy the court about competency of the officer who issued sanction.