IT Dept questions TN health minister, actor Sarath Kumar

The Income Tax Department officials today questioned Tamil Nadu Health Minister C Vijayabaskar and actor-politician Sarath Kumar in an alleged tax evasion case.
Vijayabaskar and Sarath Kumar arrived separately at the IT office here, the department sources said without elaborating.
The department had issued summons to them yesterday after its sleuths conducted searches at the official residence and properties owned by Vijayabaskar and also at Sarath Kumar's home in Chennai on April seven.
The searches at the premises of an associate of Vijayabaskar had allegedly revealed routing of Rs 89 crore for distribution to voters in R K Nagar Assembly constituency, where a bypoll was scheduled for April 12.

The Election Commission, however, cancelled the bypoll last night saying the electoral process has been "seriously vitiated" by parties through the use of money power.
The bypoll had been necessitated following the death of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

The premises of state-run Dr MGR Medical University's Vice Chancellor Dr S Geethalakshmi were also raided on April seven by the IT officials over the allegations related to "some transfers."
Though the IT Department had also summoned her today, she did not appear before the Department.
She moved the Madras High Court instead today to have the summons quashed contending that it was not legally valid.