Court refuses to allow Dabur's Pradip Burman to go abroad

Pradip Burman, one of the Dabur India promoters whose name has cropped up in the list given by the Centre to the Supreme Court on the black money issue, has been denied permission to go abroad for attending a family shareholders council in Dubai by a Delhi court.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Devendra Kumar Sharma rejected 73-year-old Burman's plea to go abroad saying it was a private meeting and his business interest would not be hampered if he skips it.
"It is clear that it is not the case of the applicant that he has to attend meeting of Board of Directors. Instead the applicant has to attend a family shareholders council which has no statutory sanction under the Companies Act.

"It is a kind of private meeting of the family members and therefore, it cannot be said that any business interest is going to be hampered of the applicant. Thus, this court is of the opinion that no ground is made out for permission to visit abroad," the court said, adding the plea was devoid of merits.
Burman had submitted in his plea that a meeting of Board of Directors of Dabur India was scheduled at Dubai on May 5 and he was one of the promoters and shareholders of the firm.
The plea had said that a family shareholders council will also be held there and he has to participate in it to discuss and assess the impact of decision of the Board.

It had sought permission to travel to Dubai from May 3 to May 7 saying he was invited along with other family members.

The plea, however, was opposed by Income Tax Department on the ground that there was no extradition treaty with UAE and Burman was not a member of Board of Directors in Dabur India and that there was no ground to visit Dubai.
Burman is facing prosecution in a complaint filed by Income Tax Department alleging that he was holding foreign bank account which he had not disclosed in his income tax returns and that there were undisclosed deposits in it.

The court had earlier also denied permission to Burman to travel to Hong Kong to attend a family function.
The court has fixed tomorrow for recording pre-charge evidence in two alleged tax evasion cases involving Burman, who was earlier granted bail.