Income tax assessment; Relief for Nehru family

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has asked the Nehru family to stay the income tax assessment for the year 2018-19. The petitions filed by Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi gave verbal instructions to the Income Tax Department. Income tax audit against Aam Aadmi Party was also banned.

The petitions question the transfer of files to the Central Circle of the Income Tax Department. The bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna will hear the matter again on November 7. The Nehru family approached the Supreme Court after the Delhi High Court rejected the petitions.

The Delhi High Court had also upheld the Central Circle's decision to leave income tax assessment of Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Trust, Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust, Young Indian and Jawahar Bhavan Trust. It was alleged that Priyanka's husband Robert Vadra was in a relationship with arms broker Sanjay Bhandari. Sanjay Bhandari's house and institutions were raided in the black money case. After this, the Income Tax Department decided to conduct a detailed investigation against the Nehru family.

Officers of the Central Circle can assess the evidence and decide on the course of prosecution and the penalty.