Delhi HC agrees to hear Congress’s plea against tax re-assessment proceedings

Delhi High Court lists Congress petition against tax re-assessment for hearing, party faces pressure with bank accounts frozen.

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday listed a petition by the Congress against tax re-assessment proceedings against it for hearing on Wednesday.

Last week, the High Court had rejected Congress party’s plea challenging an order of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) declining to stay an Income Tax Department notice for recovery of outstanding tax of more than ₹100 crore.

The assessing officer had raised a tax demand of more than Rs 100 crore for the assessment year 2018-19 when the income was assessed to be more than ₹199 crore.

“The problems that beset the petitioner (Congress party) today are thus, and to a large extent, of its own making,” the High Court had said noting that the party has been “remiss in taking peremptory steps in respect of a demand which had remained outstanding right from 2021”.

Senior advocate Vivek Tankha, representing the Congress, had said that the party is under tremendous pressure as its bank accounts have been frozen, especially with the looming Lok Sabha election on the horizon.

The ITAT on March 8 had dismissed the Congress party’s application seeking a stay on the February 13 notice of the I-T department initiating recovery proceedings against it.