Delhi High Court Begins Hearing Pleas By Gandhis, AAP Against IT Assessment Transfer

The court was hearing a batch of nine petitions challenging the I-T authorities' decision to transfer the tax assessments of Gandhis, AAP and five charitable trusts to the central circle.

Transfer of an assessment to central circle of the Income Tax department is a black mark and can only be done in cases of search and seizure, senior advocate Arvind Datar told the Delhi High Court Thursday in petitions by three Congress leaders - Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and others. Mr Datar, who was appearing for Gandhis and others, argued before a bench of Justices Manmohan and Navin Chawla that while only rarest of the cases go out of faceless assessment, even those that are transferred are marked to the concerned assessment officer and not the central circle. "Sanjay Bhandari is in search and seizure (which forms the basis of transfer of cases of Gandhis, as per the authorities). No reason for transfer is given for the political party," Mr Datar submitted. The court was hearing a batch of nine petitions challenging the I-T authorities' decision to transfer the tax assessments of Gandhis, AAP and five charitable trusts to the central circle.