‘Compounding fee paid to IT Department’

No final order yet on the applications filed by Jayalalithaa and Sasikala

The former Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, and her close associate, Sasikala, have paid nearly Rs. 2 crore in compounding fee to the Income Tax Department in the four cases filed against them for the non-filing of returns.

The department has not passed the final order on the compounding applications yet. Following the payment, the criminal proceedings in the four cases pending before a metropolitan magistrate court here for the past 18 years are likely to be withdrawn.

Two cases pertained to non-filing of personal income tax returns against Ms. Jayalalithaa and Ms. Sasikala for the assessment year 1993-94. The others were for their non-filing of returns as partners of Sasi Enterprises for the assessment years 1991-92 and 1992-1993.

The Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Economic Offences-I, R. Dakshinamoorthy, was on OD (other duty) on Monday. So, the cases came up before the III Additional Sessions Judge, A. Kayalvizhi, who was the in-charge judge.

Request accepted

Counsel S. Senthil and A. Asokan filed petitions stating that the Regional Compounding Committee, at a meeting held on November 26, decided to accept the request of Ms. Jayalalithaa and Ms. Sasikala for compounding the offences. Following this, Rs.1,99,93,061 was remitted to the department the next day. Until the department passed the final order on the compounding application, further proceedings before the court might be adjourned by two weeks.

No objection

The Senior Special Public Prosecutor for Income Tax cases, K. Ramasamy, said the department had no objection to adjourning the cases for two weeks.

The judge adjourned the case to December 11.