HC notice to Tendulkar on Ferrari duty waiver

The Delhi high court on Wednesday issued notices to cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and the Union Finance and Sports Ministries on the Rs 1.13 crore duty waiver for the imported Ferrari car gifted to him.

Taking suo motu cognizance of various newspaper reports regarding the duty waiver for Tendulkar's car, Justice Vikramjit Sen said the matter will be treated as a PIL and directed the same be listed for hearing on August 19.

According to the court order, Tendulkar will be served notice through the Bombay Cricket Association and the Board for Control of Cricket in India.

The batting maestro got his much-awaited and much talked about Ferrari-360 Modeno on August 9 after the Finance Ministry exempted 120 per cent import duty. The car was transported to India by an Air France flight from Paris.

The car was gifted to Tendulkar by Fiat after the Mumbai batsman equalled the late Sir Don Bradman's tally of 29 Test centuries.

Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher presented the car on behalf of the company to Tendulkar when the two met last year at Silverstone, England.

The Ferrari was draped in controversy after it was reported that the batting maestro had requested a custom duty waive on the car despite getting it as a gift and not winning it as a prize in any tournament.

NGO on 'begging spree' to pay duty for car

Meanwhile, irked at the Centre's decision to waive the import duty members of an NGO went on a begging spree on Tilak Road in Pune to collect money for the duty.

"A common man ends up paying duty, but a man like Tendulkar who is rolling in wealth, asks the government to waive duty and that too for a car which has been gifted to him," said Niranjan Phadke, leader of Patit Pawan Sanghathana, which organised the drive.

The government had no right to waive the duty at the cost of the common tax payers, he said.

Carrying a large photograph of Tendulkar, the members of PPS went about collecting a rupee each from people. The PPS activists said the amount collected would be sent to Tendulkar by money order.

"Yesterday we collected Rs 112 which has already been sent to him by money order."