No relief to Rahul, Sonia; SC allows IT dept to continue with their tax re-assessment

New Delhi, Dec 3: The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Income Tax department to continue with the tax re-assessment of Congress President Rahul Gandhi, his mother Sonia Gandhi and veteran Congress leader Oscar Fernandes for the year 2011-12.

The apex court, however, restrained the Income Tax department from taking coercive steps against the Congress leaders in connection with case.

Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Oscar Fernandes had challenged the September 10 verdict of the Delhi high court. The Delhi High Court had in September refused to give them relief in a case of re-opening of their tax assessments for 2011-12.

The apex court has set the next hearing for January 8, 2019.

On September 10, Gandhis had failed to get any relief from the High Court which dismissed their challenge on reopening of their tax assessments for 2011-12.

Income Tax department has already filed a caveat in the apex court that it should be heard in case any appeal is filed against the high court order.

The income tax probe against the Congress leaders has arisen from the investigation into the private criminal complaint filed by a BJP leader before a trial court in connection with the National Herald case, in which the trio are out on bail.

Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi were granted bail in the case by the trial court on December 19, 2015.

According to the tax department, Rahul Gandhi's assessment for 2011-12 has to be reopened because he allegedly did not disclose at the time that he was a director in YI since 2010. The department claimed the shares that Rahul held in YI would lead him to have an income of Rs 154 crore and not about rS 68 lakh, as assessed earlier.