I-T dept issues notice to Robert Vadra's company

The Income Tax department has issued notice to a firm owned by Robert Vadra as part of its probe to understand the "financial structure" of the company and real estate projects undertaken by it.

Sources said the notice has been issued by the I-T department to Sky Light Hospitality which has its offices in Delhi and Gurgaon and the taxmen have asked company officials to disclose details about the transactions and sale deeds executed from the financial year 2005-06 by the firm.

The department has also asked the firm to explain its real estate projects and deals struck in various parts of North India including loans taken in this regard from some prominent builders in the country.

"A probe has been initiated against the company after public reports in this regard were received by the department. The department wants to know details about the company and its operations and any full fledged investigation would be taken up post these issues are understood," a source said.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Vadra, who has not been named in the notice, has been in the news regarding his land dealings and real estate projects in various parts of north India including the national capital region, Rajasthan, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

Sources said the I-T department has earlier gathered documents on the companies' credentials from the Registrar of Companies and through local inputs in the real estate and hospitality sector before the notices were issued.

Reacting on the development, BJP said sending such notices was the duty of the I-T department as it accused Vadra of making "windfall gains" from the alleged land deals.

"If there is a tax notice given to Robert Vadra, I think it is a natural process... administrative process. It is the responsibility of tax authorities to send notices and seek questions and seek answers to all cases where windfall gains have been made. The issue concerning Vadra's firm is in black and white," BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said.

"He has made several crores, over Rs 50 crore in windfall gains in just one transaction. The entire details of this transaction is in public domain. So, if tax authorities have sent him a notice, I would consider that they have done their duty and he would have an opportunity to explain his position," he said.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi, however, said that the issue of notice to Vadra's firm was a routine action done by the I-T department.

"I think there is absolutely nothing to comment on the Vadra issue. It is wrong for anyone, including the media, to start questioning everytime any notice or step in a proceeding takes place," he said. 

Image: Priyanka Gandhi and her husband Robert Vadra. Photograph: Reuters