LUDHIANA: The income tax department on Thursday urged the court of additional district and sessions judge to dismiss the revision petitions filed by Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh and his son Raninder Singh challenging a lower court order that allowed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to inspect fresh records in three alleged tax evasion cases against them.
Additional sessions judge Atul Kasana has fixed December 4 as the next date of hearing.
On September 18, the court of judicial magistrate Jasbeer Singh had allowed the economic intelligence agency to inspect fresh I-T records related to the cases of CM and his son on September 28. However, on September 25, the court of additional sessions judge, admitting two review petitions filed by the CM and his son against the lower court order, had ordered a stay on the inspection of records by ED.
I-T department counsel advocate Rakesh K Gupta said they would not comment on whether ED should be allowed to inspect the IT records, as it is for the court to decide. He said they have submitted in the reply that the revision petitions should be dismissed.
Gurmukh Singh, who is representing Raninder in the case, said that on the next date of hearing they expect the matter to come up for consideration of arguments on the I-T department’s reply.
In an application filed by ED in the court of judicial magistrate on August 14, the agency had pleaded that it was seeking permission for inspection of documents filed by the I-T department in all the three ongoing cases against Amarinder and his son. Since the subject matter is under Foreign Exchange Management Act (Fema), 1999, ambit, it is authorised to probe the matter, it had said.