Tainted ex-IAS couple gets fresh I-T notice

The Income Tax department on Wednesday slapped fresh notices on tainted former IAS couple Arvind and Tinoo Joshi, who have been accused of amassing assets disproportionate to their known sources of income.

The department is looking to book the former tainted officers under the Benami Transaction (Prohibition) Act, 2016, said I-T sources. The couple, who have been dismissed from service, have not been booked under the stringent act as it had not come into force when cases were first registered against them.

Arvind’s parents and 32 bank and insurance officers associated with the couple, including former officer of ICICI Prudential Seema Jaiswal and her husband Santosh Jaiswal have also been served notice by the Income Tax department, to which they have to reply within 15 days.

The I-T department’s investigations showed that Arvind had deposited ₹3.5 crores in the accounts of his relatives and the money was placed in fixed deposits. However, neither the account holders nor the two former IAS officers could explain the source of the money, prompting I-T to consider them benami transaction.

Income Tax officials had raided Arvind and Tinoo’s official premises in February 2010 and found ₹3 crore in cash and details of investment worth hundreds of crore.

Arvind was then principal secretary (jails) and his wife Tinoo was at the position of principal secretary (women and child development).

Months later, the Lokayukta police raided the same premises of the couple and found disproportionate income to the tune of ₹43.23 crore.