A media platform should not give a rapist the chance to defend himself, especially during the pendency of an appeal in court, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely said in London. He was responding to a question at a press conference on his government’s decision to ban India’s Daughter, the documentary by British filmmaker Leslee Udwin on the 2012 Delhi gang rape case.
He also said that the new law on rape in India, framed by the Verma Committee and passed under public pressure after the incident, prohibits the victim being named or her image shown under Section 228 A of the Indian Penal Code. “No credible media would have violated that,” he said.
Mr. Jaitley called the latest developments at Cairn India a “legacy issue” left over from the previous government. His government will keep to its promise of not moving in the direction of retrospective legislation on tax issues, Mr. Jaitely said. However with legacy claims and notices that had been initiated by the previous government, the concerned party would have to sort this out through a judicial process.
“We have stuck to our word,” he said. “For any assessee – if he has any grievance against the legacy issues of the previous government they have had the due process to resort to.” He added that his government had decided not to challenge a judicial decision where one has been made.
Energy company Cairn announced that it has been asked to pay retrospective tax by the Indian Income Tax department, of £ 20, 495. This arises for their alleged failure to deduct withholding tax on purported capital gains arising in 2006-07 to Cairn UK Holdings Ltd, its former owner.
Foreign secretary Phillip Hammond had discussed the issue during his visit to Delhi recently.
In his brief visit, primarily for the purpose of unveiling the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Parliament Square, Mr. Jaitley met British Prime Minister David Cameron, the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, and Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne. He also held meetings with investors in the city of London, JP Morgan and the London Stock Exchange.
