The Income Tax Department has sent a report to the Tamil Nadu government and the Election Commission on the outcome of searches conducted on the premises of State Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar and others days ahead of the bypoll to the R.K. Nagar constituency here in April 2017.
Documents seized during the operation had allegedly pointed to evidence of bribery of voters to the tune of ₹89 crore by the AIADMK-Amma (as the ruling AIADMK faction led by Sasikala was then called), prompting the Election Commission to rescind the bypoll notification. The bypoll was eventually held in December 2017 in which T.T.V. Dhinakaran won as an Independent.
Income Tax officials launched simultaneous searches on at least 50 locations across Tamil Nadu on April 7 last year, days ahead of the bypoll, based on specific information that black money was being pumped in during the election campaign. Though a few crores of rupees were seized from some persons who claimed to be associates of the Minister, investigators said they seized documents that pointed to distribution of ₹89 crore cash to voters in the R.K. Nagar constituency.
“We have sent separate reports to the Election Commission of India and the Tamil Nadu government on the outcome of the searches. Our scope of investigation is confined only to tax evasion...we refer all other irregularities and documents of prima facie violations to the authorities concerned for appropriate action,” a top Income Tax official told The Hindu on Thursday.
Sources in the State government said that the findings of the Income Tax department would have already been referred to the Special Investigation Cell of the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption had there been any allegation or suspicion of corruption.
