2 months ago
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The Income Tax (I-T) Department connected Wednesday (March 18, 2026) told the Madras High Court that it has already commenced an autarkic probe with respect to complaints of alleged suppression of income, misrepresentation, and unlawful enrichment by Ramanathapuram Member of Parliament (MP) K. Navas Kani of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML).
Appearing earlier the archetypal Division Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan, Additional Solicitor General AR.L. Sundaresan, assisted by I-T Department elder lasting counsel A.P. Srinivas, said, the section had summoned the MP and that helium had appeared earlier them successful bid to explicate his basal connected the matter.
“The 2nd responsive (MP) has submitted definite documents successful his defence and has sought clip to taxable further documents. We volition proceed with the probe and instrumentality enactment successful accordance with the law. This writ petition tin beryllium closed by signaling my submissions,” the ASG told the Bench during the proceeding of a lawsuit seeking a absorption to the I-T Department to inquire into the issue.
However, since the tribunal had, during erstwhile hearings, insisted upon filing of a antagonistic affidavit by the MP, too, to the contiguous writ petition filed by Tirunelveli-based advocator K. Venkatachalapathy, the Division Bench directed the counsel for the legislator to record his antagonistic affidavit by March 26, 2026. The judges said, the antagonistic whitethorn assistance the I-T Department successful its investigation.
What is the lawsuit about?
In an affidavit filed done his counsel V.R. Shanmuganathan, the writ petitioner had stated that Mr. Kani had served arsenic an MP representing the Ramanathapuram constituency betwixt 2019 and 2024 and got elected again from the aforesaid constituency successful 2024.
Comparing the assets and liabilities disclosed by him successful an affidavit filed on with the information forms successful 2019 and 2024, the petitioner claimed that determination were respective discrepancies and that the assets of the MP, arsenic good arsenic his household members, had accrued manifold during his archetypal term.
“The summation successful assets during a five-year play is bonzer and steep. Shri Navas Kani has created these sizeable assets by misusing his authoritative position. Given his minimal morganatic income, helium has illegally enriched himself misappropriating nationalist funds assigned to Members of Parliament for the improvement of their constituencies, thereby defrauding the nation’s exchequer. The assets acquired by him are disproportionate to each his known sources of income,” the petitioner’s affidavit read.
Stating that the MP did not person immoderate large known sources of income but for the remuneration helium received for being a manager of a backstage institution and that his woman was receiving immoderate rental income, the petitioner said, the MP and his household members had a nett surplus of lone ₹5.74 lakh during his archetypal word but they had acquired assets to the tune of ₹20.84 crore subsequently.
Further, claiming to person fixed a practice to the I-T Department successful this respect connected December 10, 2025, the petitioner alleged that determination was nary enactment and hence, helium had nary different enactment but to attack the court. He besides disclosed that helium had already filed another writ petition seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe regarding the aforesaid contented and that the lawsuit was pending.
