The Congress on Monday approached the Delhi High Court against the dismissal of its plea by the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) regarding penalties imposed for discrepancies in certain tax returns. Senior advocate Vivek Tankha brought up the matter before a bench comprising of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gadeka. Tanka emphasised the urgency of the matter, citing the freezing of the political party’s accounts.
Acting Chief Justice Manmohan agreed to list the case for hearing during the day if the petition is in order. Last week, the ITAT had dismissed the Congress’s appeal against the penalties imposed for discrepancies in tax returns from previous years.
The party had previously stated that the IT tribunal’s order to freeze its funds was ‘an attack on democracy’, particularly as it occurred ahead if the Lok Sabha elections.
As per sources, the tribunal dismissed the Congress’s appeal against penalties totaling Rs 210 crore imposed by the Income Tax Department.