Fresh I-T dept notice to Virbhadra Singh on his revised tax returns

The Income Tax department has issued a fresh notice to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on his revised income tax returns for three consecutive years beginning 2008-09, in which his income grew 14-fold.

The chief minister had filed revised I-T returns for assessment years 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11, where his income showed about 14 times increase from Rs 47.35 lakh to Rs 6.56 crore.

The income tax case against Singh was reopened following the revised IT returns were challenged in Delhi High Court through a PIL.

The BJP had raised this issue during the last Assembly polls and again raked up the issue and also demanded a CBI probe into the financial transactions of Singh.

Sources in the I-T departments said the notice was issued few days ago and it was a routine process.

The I-T department has also questioned the LIC agent Anand Chauhan who managed orchards of Virbhadra Singh and sold the apples on his behalf and got the money.

Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister PK Dhumal also raised the issue in his letter to Sonia Gandhi yesterday and said that "the people of Himachal want to know the formula by which the income from orchards increased from Rs 47.35 lakh to Rs 6.56 crore in three years".