Centre spreading misinformation on Herald case order: Congress (Lead)

New Delhi May 12 (IANS) The Congress on Friday accused the central government of spreading what it claimed was misinformation on a Delhi High Court order in the National Herald case saying it showed the regime s fear insecurity and vindictive approach.

The party also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of launching a witch-hunt in the case.

The opposition party alleged that the government was circulating unsigned press notes which said that the court had directed the Income Tax Department to initiate a probe into the matter which the party said was not the case.

The amount of misinformation going on with regard to Young Indian-National Herald case makes me wonder whether the government has anything better to do than to circulate unsigned notes that are actually campaigns of misinformation and distortion said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

We have one such note. It is a government s version of what happened regarding the judicial challenge in the Income Tax matter of Young Indian Pvt. Ltd. It s a sorry state of affairs that government agencies by proxy are engaging in incomplete and distorted information possibly bordering on contempt of court Singhvi said.

This shows the government s fear insecurity and vindictive approach he added.

The Delhi High Court on Friday declined to entertain a plea by Young Indian Pvt. Ltd. (YIL) in which Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi are the main stakeholders challenging Income Tax Department notices served on the company thereby clearing the decks for an I-T Department probe.

The Congress leader said the High Court observed that all the points raised in the writ petition can be raised in front of the Income Tax Department.

The court said: Why did they come to HC; raise all the points in front of the department . The court recorded my statement and gave me liberty that all points raised by me can be raised before the department including the jurisdictional point said Singhvi.

Because of that I withdrew the writ. This is the order. Is this what you have been told? Unsigned note circulated by government proxies is using all adjectives. Some are even saying there s direction by the court to the tax department to investigate the matter.

Does the order show this? We will apologise if the order shows this. Some even ran a media report that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have been asked to appear before the court. Please tell where is it written Singhvi asked.

Singhvi said that the Congress is proud to be associated with the National Herald which he said stood for free speech during the colonial period.

Another Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said that Young Indian Private Limited had raised some jurisdictional issues concerning the Income Tax Department in the High Court but withdrew its petition after being satisfied with the court direction.

Young Indian had raised certain fundamental jurisdictional issues challenging the powers of Income Tax authorities. The High Court directed these authorities to decide all the issues raised in the court petition. Being satisfied with it Singhvi the counsel for Young Indian has withdrawn the petition Surjewala said.

Incidentally Young Indian is a not-for-profit company that only runs the National Herald paper. No one can withdraw a single rupee of profit salary or dividend from it or benefit from it in any manner as per the Companies Act the Congress leader said.

The witch-hunt or malice of the current BJP-led government will not deter us from upholding our bounden duty to the nation Surjewala added.

The case stems from a complaint by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy who alleged cheating in the acquisition of the Associated Journals Limited (AJL) the publisher of National Herald by Young Indian Private Limited.

Swamy claimed that the Congress gave an unsecured loan to YIL in which Sonia and Rahul have 38 per cent stake each to acquire AJL.

--IANS
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