The Supreme Court on Monday sought income tax assessment details of the kith and kin of former Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan during his tenure in the apex court.
A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Shiva Kirti Singh asked Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi to file the Assessment Orders of Income Tax returns of the family members of Justice Balakrishnan on a PIl filed by NGO Common Cause. Though they are not party to the proceeding in Court, Rohatgi said that the kin of the former CJI are income tax payers and have been filing their returns.
The bench told Rohatgi, “You file a chart indicating their IT assessment orders for our perusal,” fixing the next date of hearing on July 12. The PIl argued by advocate Prashant Bhushan had alleged disproportionate assets amassed by former CJI by way of benami land transactions held in the name of his daughters, son-in-laws, and brother. The PIl was filed after Justice Balakrishnan retired from apex court and joined as Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Bhushan had sought the former CJI’s removal as Chairperson but that prayer became infructuous since his exit from NHRC in May 2015.
The court’s direction comes almost four months after Centre submitted that there was no conclusive proof of disproportionate assets in the IT assessment orders of Justice Balakrishnan’s kin. Bhushan had objected to this claim alleging that around 21
properties have been acquired in the names of son, daughter and brother of the former CJI.