(UNI) The Delhi High Court directed to defreeze 11 bank accounts of Ramdev’s Patanjali Yogpeeth Nyas which were sealed by the Income Tax Department after the Trust failed to pay the first installment of Rs 75 lakh of the total of Rs 34.68 crore due on it.
A bench comprising Justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and R V Iswar directed the IT Department to lift the attachment order on the 11 bank accounts of Ramdev’s trust if the payment of Rs 2.10 crores which is due as Income Tax is paid by March 15.
The court also directed the Income Tax Commissioner (Appeals) to decide its appeals filed by the Trust by March 31.
The Court’s orders came on a petition filed by Ramdev’s
Patanjali Yogpeeth Nyas against the decision of the IT department to freeze its bank accounts on January 14, after it allegedly failed to pay Rs 75 lakh towards first installment of total tax of Rs 34.68 crore due from it for assessment year 2009-10.
The court refused to stay the recovery proceedings initiated by the IT department against the Trust in pursuance of tax demand notice of Rs 34.68 crore.
The Counsel appearing for Yogpeeth said that their’s is a charitable trust and hence no tax is due on them. The counsel also alleged that accounts have been attached without prior notice to the Trust and should be quashed on the outset.
The court directed the IT department to decide the trust’s appeals by March 31.
The Trust in its appeal said that it is a charitable body, exempted from paying income tax. UNI
