Benami land deals: Misa again fails to appear before IT Department

New Delhi June 12 (IANS) Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad s daughter Misa Bharti and her husband on Monday again failed to appear before the Income Tax Department in connection with a benami property deals case.

The IT Department had first time issued her summons on May 24 to appear before it on June 6. But she had failed to turn up then.

Following that the IT Department on June 6 issued her fresh summons and asked her to appear before it on June 12. It had also fined her Rs 10 000 and issued her a show-cause notice.

Her husband Shailesh Kumar also was summoned on June 7 but he too did bot show up. After this Kumar was also asked to appear before the tax authorities on June 12.

On May 16 the IT Department had launched searches at 22 places in and around Delhi in connection with alleged benami (held in proxy) property deals involving Lalu Prasad and his children -- Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav Health Minister Tej Pratap Yadav and Misa Bharti.

Besides the residence of the RJD supremo searches were also conducted at the residence of party MP P.C. Gupta as well as several businessmen and real estate agents in Delhi and Haryana s Gurugram and Rewari in the wake of allegations by senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushil Kumar Modi.

Modi has alleged involvement of Lalu Prasad and his three children in corrupt land deals.

Benami means held by proxy. In this kind of transaction the person who pays for the property does not buy it or hold it under his/her own name.

--IANS
aks/nir/vt