In connection with a tax default of Rs. 3.62 crores, the Income Tax Department has attached a house of Kashmiri separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani located in Delhi.
The Tax Recovery Officer (TRO) sealed the house of Geelani alleging that he has failed to pay Rs 3,62,62,160 income tax for assessment years 1996-97 to 2001-02, as per an order accessed by PTI.
The recovery was made under Section 222 of the Income Tax Act (assessee deemed in default of tax payment) and it has “prohibited and restrained” the Hurriyat Conference leader from transferring the asset.
The TRO is an enforcement action taking the arm of the tax department and it deals with cases of wilful defaulters. The authority is empowered to attach an asset and subsequently auction it to realise the tax dues.
In March-end, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), had levied a penalty of Rs 14.40 lakh on Geelani in a 17-year-old case of illegal possession of USD 10,000 in alleged contravention of the foreign exchange law, officials said Friday.
Geelani heads the hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference and is based in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar.
The ED took up the case after taking cognisance of the Income Tax report and had also issued summons to Geelani to appear before it in Srinagar
