Court allows Dabur's Pradip Burman to go abroad

The court directed Burman to submit the details of his stay in London and also to intimate it on his return.

Pradip Burman, one of the Dabur India promoters whose name has cropped up in the list given by the Centre to the Supreme Court on the black money issue, has been granted permission by a Delhi court to go to London to visit his ailing brother.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Devender Kumar Sharma allowed Burman's plea seeking permission to go abroad for five days from January 11 to attend his brother, who is critically ill and suffering from various ailments, including throat cancer and hepatitis-C.

The court directed Burman to submit the details of his stay in London and also to intimate it on his return.

"In view of submissions and facts and circumstances that he (Burman) was earlier allowed to visit abroad and he has returned in accordance with the undertaking given before this court, the application in hand is allowed and the applicant is permitted to visit London on January 11 for five days subject to filing of itinerary in the form of affidavit before leaving the country. . . and should intimate the court after return from London," the court said.

It fixed January 27 for recording of pre-charge evidence in two alleged tax evasion cases involving Burman, who was earlier granted bail by the court.

Income Tax Standing Counsel Brijesh Garg had told the court that if Burman is permitted to go abroad, he be directed to file an affidavit giving details of his stay there and to intimate the court on his return to India.

The court is likely to record testimony of the complainant and income tax officer Gaurav Dudeja first.

The court had earlier granted bail to Burman but barred him from leaving the country without its permission after the Income Tax department argued that there was a likelihood that the accused may leave the country to avoid prosecution in the case.

According to the IT department's complaint, Burman was holding foreign bank accounts but he had not disclosed about it in his income tax returns and there were undisclosed deposits in those two accounts.

Image: Pradip Burman