Following allegations of tax evasion of Rs 120 crore, the legal team of AAP's Delhi minister Kailash Gahlot on Saturday called the claims a "deliberate act of spreading misinformation to cover the abysmal failure" of the Income Tax Department.
A statement released by Gahlot's legal team said the IT officers searched Gahlot's flat for around 60 hours and could recover only Rs 11 lakh, "the amount which has been duly accounted for in his books".
"The Income Tax Department is red-faced and smarting from its politically motivated and ill-advised raid on Mr Kailash Gahlot," it said.
Calling the search a "complete failure", Gahlot's legal team alleged that "fanciful rumours" are being circulated to divert the public attention in a desperate attempt to browbeat the elected representative.
"Some rumours about the recovery of Rs 35 lakh of unaccounted money are being spread while the truth is that a sum of Rs 11 lakh in cash was found at the premises of Kailash Gahlot. Another sum of Rs 24 lakhs was admittedly related to the family of Mr Gahlot's elder brother," the statement said.
About the IT officers recovering unaccounted jewellery worth Rs 2 crore from Gahlot's residence, the legal team said: "The truth is that jewellery belonging to wife of Kailash Gahlot (assessed at current market rate) of Rs 28 lakh (duly accounted for) was found along with jewellery belonging to the mother-in-law of Gahlot (assessed at current market rate) of Rs 41 lakh, duly accounted for".
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Minister's legal team also rubbished the allegations of Benami properties worth Rs 100 crore being found during the raids, saying that "not a single document was recovered for any property".
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The team warned of legal action against the IT department for harassing "an elected representative".
"All stories being planted by the IT Department and other agencies working at the behest of the central government will be strongly countered on facts and a befitting legal response will be given," it said.
Income Tax officials raided 16 residential and business premises of Gahlot and his family members in Vasant Kunj, Paschim Vihar, Najafgarh and Gurugram.
Gahlot holds the portfolios of transport, law, revenue, information technology and administrative reforms in the Delhi Cabinet.
--IANS
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