IT Dept ready to monitor poll expenditures
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, March 14 2019: The Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, North East Region (NER), Kavita Jha (IRS), has deputed additional manpower of 116 officers and Inspectors of Income Tax Department, to the Directorate of Income Tax (Investigation), for the duration of the coming Lok Sabha elections.

Early on the morning of March 12 (Tuesday), the Investigation Wing of NER had issued deployment orders of 157 officials who will be deployed all over Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura, to monitor the election expenditure and flow of black money across 112 districts.

The Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of 7 States of the North East region were also officially intimated about the deployment which was done under the directions of the Election Commission of India (ECI) to the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) in a bid to throttle flow of black money to influence elections as black money vitiates the purity of election process, according to ECI.

The Investigation Directorate teams will monitor movement of large sums of cash or other items suspected to be used for bribing electors and on the basis of information or complaint, will conduct independent enquiry against any person indulging in such acts.

They will also verify affidavits declaring assets and liabilities filed by the candidates before ECI and election expenses by any candidate or political party.

Investigation Directorate will also report to the Commission about the political parties which are taking donations and enjoying tax exemptions in the poll bound States without filing the statutory returns.

Banks have also been notified to pass on information about withdrawal of more than Rs 10 lakh to the Nodal Officer of the Directorate, Subhrajyoti Bhattacharjee (IRS), Additional Director of Income Tax (Inv), NER.

The Directorate has also activated Air Intelligence Units at all airports in the North East region and will monitor movement of cash or valuables and the State authorities and police have been instructed to report movement of any suspicious cash to the I-T authorities.

Principal Director of Income Tax (Inv) for NER, Sanjay Bahadur (IRS) had further issued instructions for heightened surveillance and intelligence gathering during elections.

Investigation Directorate authorities can enter and search any building, place, vessel or aircraft if it is suspected that any unaccounted money, bullion, jewellery or other valuable article or thing is to be found there and seize the same under section 132 of Income Tax Act.

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