Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP and former leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly Sushil Kumar Modi on Tuesday accused Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and Finance Minister P Chidambaram of trying to constitute an income tax tribunal to extract a favourable decision on the disproportionate assets case filed against the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief. Prasad has been accused of amassing wealth of more than Rs 46 lakh illegally and a case had been registered against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Also, when Prasad's wife Rabri Devi filed income tax returns for the assessment years 1986-87 to 1996-97, she had belatedly declared certain income from dairy and agriculture. The returns were questioned, and after an unfavourable judgment, she filed an appeal with an income tax tribunal in May 2000.
Modi alleged that this tribunal was being replaced by another that would give a favorable judgment. "After the formation of the new United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, Prasad in connivance with RJD MP and Minister for Company Affairs Prem Gupta, his daughter's father-in-law Rai Ranvijay Singh, who is an income tax commissioner in Mumbai, and Chidambaram, constituted a favourable tribunal," Modi alleged.
Modi added that RK Tyagi, who was a member (judicial) of the tribunal, was forcibly transferred to Delhi. "Mohan Rajan from Bangalore and M M Sarkar from Kolkata were brought in to constitute a temporary tribunal even though a permanent one was trying the case earlier," he alleged.
According to Modi, the disproportionate assets case, registered with a special court of CBI, Patna, has reached a critical phase, and the income tax tribunal verdict will play a big part in influencing its outcome.
"Which is why both Prasad and Rabri Devi are trying to get a favourable judgment from the tribunal and win the CBI case as well," Modi alleged.
Modi added that Rabri Devi had also, in a petition filed in the Supreme Court, said no prior sanction was taken from a competent authority, therefore, the disproportionate assets case should be withdrawn and the CBI special court disallowed from pronouncing its judgment.
"On the one hand, they are trying to get a favourable tribunal, on the other they are trying to delay the CBI judgment by all means possible," added Modi.
"We appeal to the Prime Minister to stop the income tax tribunal in Patna from giving its final order in this particular case. A high-level inquiry should be ordered to probe the forcible shunting of RK Tyagi and the reconstitution of the income tax circuit tribunal in Patna," said Modi.
