New Delhi, Sept 11: The government on Monday informed the Supreme Court that ‘substantial increases’ in assets of seven Lok Sabha parliamentarians and 98 state lawmakers are under scanner. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) told the apex court that it will share the list of names of those seven MPs and 98 MLAs whom assets are being investigated in a sealed cover on September 12.
The CBDT said it found that there had been “huge” increases in the Lok Sabha MPs’ assets and “substantial” increases in MLAs’ assets after preliminary investigations into their assets. A probe was launched after a Lucknow-based NGO, ‘Lok Prahari’, alleged a significant increase in the assets of 26 Lok Sabha MPs, 11 Rajya Sabha MPs and 257 MLAs, as was reflected in their election affidavits.
The CBDT informed that the inquiry is underway by the Income Tax department against 20 MPs including nine Lok Sabha members and 42 MLAs. The NGO Lok Prahari had released a list of 37 MPs including 11 Rajya Sabha members and 257 MLAs alleging that their election affidavits show a significant increase in their assets.
Earlier on September 6, the Supreme Court asked the Central government to place before it details of the steps it had taken to verify the sources of income of lawmakers whose assets increased many folds in just one term as elected representatives. The court query came as the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) had cited the instances of four law makers whose assets have increased by 1,200 per cent or more, and another 22 law makers whose assets recorded an increase of 500 per cent.
