I-T dept issues notice to firm owned by Robert Vadra

He has not been named in the notice to Sky Light Hospitality

The income tax (I-T) department has issued notice to a business firm owned by Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress party president Sonia Gandhi. This is part of its probe to understand the “financial structure” of the company and real estate projects undertaken by it.

Sources said the notice has been issued by the I-T department to Sky Light Hospitality, which has offices in Delhi and Gurgaon and authorities have asked company officials to disclose details about transactions and sale deeds from the financial year 2005-06.

“A probe has been initiated against the company after public reports in this regard were received by the department. The department wants to know details about the company and its operations and any full-fledged investigation would be taken up post these issues are understood,” a source said.

Vadra, who has not been named in the notice, has been in the news regarding land dealings and real estate projects in various parts of north India including the national capital region, Rajasthan, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

Sources said the department had earlier gathered documents on the companies' credentials from the registrar of companies and through local inputs in the real estate and hospitality sector before the notices were issued.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said sending such notices was the duty of the I-T department as it accused Vadra of making ‘windfall gains’ from the alleged land deals.

“If there is a tax notice given to Robert Vadra, I think it is a natural process... administrative process. It is the responsibility of tax authorities to send notices and ask questions and seek answers to all cases where windfall gains, have been made. The issue concerning Vadra's firm is in black and white,” BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said.

“He has made several crores, over Rs 50 crore in windfall gains in just one transaction. The entire details of this transaction is in public domain. So, if tax authorities have sent him a notice, I would consider that they have done their duty and he would have an opportunity to explain his position,” he said.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi, said the notice was a routine action done by the department.

“I think there is absolutely nothing to comment on the Vadra issue. It is wrong for anyone, including the media, to start questioning everytime any notice or step in a proceeding takes place,” he said.