DMK candidate, bizman admit cash seized was undisclosed income

Over Rs seven crore cash seized from DMK candidate K C Palanisamy and businessman C Anbunathan in Aravakurichi constituency, where poll was cancelled in 2016, was the undisclosed income of the two, Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer today submitted in the Madras High Court.
In an affidavit filed in the court on behalf of the Election Commission, CEO Rajesh Lakhoni said Palanisamy and Anbunathan had submitted before the Income Tax authorities that the Rs 2.73 crore and Rs 4.77 crore seized from them respectively belonged to them and were undisclosed income.
The Election Commission had cancelled the elections in May 2016 for Aravakurichi and Thanjavur constituencies following allegation of malpractices and distribution of money and gifts by two major political parties - AIADMK and DMK.

The CEO filed the affidavit in response to a PIL seeking to recover the expenditure made for the two assembly constituencies from the candidates and the political parties, who were responsible for the cancellation of elections.
When the matter came up on November 14 last year, Additional Solicitor General G Rajagopalan, appearing for the EC, had submitted that the commission was waiting for the outcome of the investigation report from the Income Tax Department in connection with the seizure of huge money.
Today when the matter came up before Chief Justice Indira Banerjee, the affidavit was filed by the CEO stating that the Additional Director of Income Tax (Investigation) Unit I had informed about the submissions made by Palanisamy and Anbunathan that the money was their undisclosed income.

Final reports in these cases will be sent on completion of the assessment proceedings, the IT official had said.
The bench then posted the matter for further hearing to April 19.