The NDA government on Monday revealed three names - Dabur's Pradip Burman, Rajkot bullion trader Pankaj Chimanlal Lodhiya and Goa's Timblo Pvt Ltd in the black money case. It was the French authorities who informed India about Burman's alleged tax evasion and stashing of money abroad. Information about the other two - Lodhiya and Timblo Pvt Ltd - came from the German authorities. Timblo Pvt Ltd faces prosecution along with its directors Radha S Timblo, Chetan S Timblo, Rohan S Timblo, Anna C Timblo and Mallika R Timblo.
The names were revealed by the Centre before the Supreme Court in an affidavit filed 24 hours before the scheduled hearing in the case. It said: “Several more cases are under process and the names of persons prosecuted will become public in due course.” But the Centre's commitment to reveal names came with a caveat.
“Government is committed to disclose names of persons holding illegal money abroad. However, every account held by an Indian in a foreign country may not be illegal and the fundamental right of citizens to privacy under Article 21 of the Constitution cannot be ignored,” said the affidavit mentioned by attorney general Mukul Rohatgi before a bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu.
The Centre said double taxation avoidance agreements (DTAAs) and similar treaties with other countries are vital sources of information on Indians stashing ill-gotten money in foreign banks and that the agreements and treaties mandate that information provided under these could be revealed only after court proceedings were initiated against them on completion of a proper investigation about the financial illegality committed by the person.
Meanwhile, the issue of black money put Congress and BJP at loggerheads earlier this month when the Centre told the apex court that it could not reveal the identity of account holders as it was bound by the treaties with the countries that have provided the details.
As Congress demanded that Modi and BJP leaders apologise for misleading the countrymen for two years, finance minister Arun Jaitley retaliated that certain names in the rogues' list would embarrass the party. “It has been a week since we demanded that government reveal all the information. The government should not indulge in political titillation or press sensationalism. You are the government, you control ministries. You should act,” a Congress spokesman said.
