Officials of the Income Tax Department on Monday grilled Tamil Nadu Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar for over five hours regarding the documents purportedly seized during the searches conducted at his house and other premises belonging to him, his family members and associates on Friday last.
The Department also had a marathon probe session with actor and Samathuva Makkal Katchi founder Sarath Kumar, which lasted from 11.30 a.m. to 8.30 p.m.
“We recorded the Minister’s statement over the seized documents. Investigations will continue,” said an Income Tax official.
The Department had issued summons to Mr. Vijaya Baskar, Sarath Kumar and Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University Vice-Chancellor Geethalakshmi, in whose houses it conducted searches on Friday last, to appear before it for questioning on Monday.
Emerging from the office of the Income Tax Department in Nungambakkam, Mr. Vijaya Baskar told reporters that he answered all the questions posed by the officials and cooperated with the investigation.
During the searches, the Income Tax Department had seized documents that indicated that senior ruling party leaders, including ministers, were given the task of coordinating with the party’s election committees in Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar Assembly constituency to allegedly distribute money to the tune of ₹89 crore to 85% of voters.
