The Income Tax department has attached a house of Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani in Delhi for allegedly failing to pay taxes of Rs 3.62 crore for assessment years 1996-’97 to 2001-’02, PTI reported on Monday.
The Office of the Tax Recovery Officer under the I-T department sealed Geelani’s apartment located in South Delhi’s Malviya Nagar area, according to ANI. The order, which was issued on March 29, “prohibited and restrained” Geelani from transferring the asset.
The department has undertaken the action under Section 222 of the I-T Act (assessee deemed in default of tax payment). The Tax Recovery Officer deals with cases of wilful tax defaulters and is empowered to attach an asset and subsequently auction it to collect the tax dues.
The Income Tax department’s move comes days after the Enforcement Directorate imposed a penalty of Rs 14.4 lakh on Geelani in a case from 2002 related to illegal possession of $10,000 and allegedly acquiring Rs 10 lakh through illegal means, The Indian Express reported.
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