The Himachal Pradesh High Court on Monday stayed an Income Tax Commission, Shimla order transferring cases related to investigation into the income tax returns of chief minister Virbhadra Singh and his family members to Chandigarh.
Challenging the Income Tax Commissioners order, petitioners Virbhadra Singh, his wife Pratibha Singh, son Vikramaditya Singh, daughter Aparajita Kumari, one Anand Chauhan (caretaker of Virbhadra Singh’s orchards) and Chunni lal Chauhan (Proprietor of M/s Universal Apples) pleaded before the court that there was no need to transfer their cases to Chandigarh as it would only result in harassment to them.
Transferring all the cases to Deputy Commissioner of Income Tax, Central Circle, Chandigarh, the Shimla based Income Tax Commissioner had given the reason that centralization of cases would enable the department to conduct focused, synchronised and coordinated investigation.
In their plea, the petitioners have contended that coordinated and joint investigation of all cases can be done in Shimla also and there is no need to transfer the cases to Chandigarh as this will only result in harassment to them.
Staying the order, the division bench comprising of Chief Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir and Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan directed the Income Tax Commissioner to file reply within 4 weeks, before posting the matter for September 16.