IT slaps Rs 3 crore fine on Syed Geelani

The income tax department has slapped a fine of Rs 3 crores (Rs 30 million) on Syed Ali Shah Geelani, president of the breakaway faction of the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference.

This follows raids on his homes in Srinagar and elsewhere on June 9, 2002 after which IT officials assessed the properties of the separatist leader to be worth over Rs 5 crores (Rs 50 million).

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The orders against Geelani and his relatives were passed last week.

His son-in-law Altaf Ahmed Shah has been asked to pay Rs 32 lakhs (Rs 3.2 million) as a fine, which amounts to 65 percent of the assets possessed by him.

Geelani's son S Naseem Zafar will have to pay Rs 31,000 as a fine for not providing correct details of his income.

His elder daughter-in-law Rehana Naeem Geelani has been asked to pay Rs 22,000 as a fine.

Iftikhar Geelani, another son-in-law who is the bureau chief of the Kashmir Times newspaper in Delhi, and his wife Aanisa Batool Geelani have been given a clean chit.

In his order dated February 20, Assistant Income Tax Commissioner Satpal Singh accepted the income tax returns filed by the couple and held that they have abided by the law. A bank locker with the Bank of Punjab, which was sealed after the June 9, 2002 raids, has since been returned to them.

During the raid on June 9, 2002, I-T sleuths had seized Rs 10.2lakh and $10,000 in cash, vouchers showing purchase of a substantial amount of jewellery, a diamond-encrusted watch inscribed with 'From Pakistan Government' besides documents pertaining to purchase of property and vehicles from Geelani's residence.

He had declared his annual income as Rs 17,100 - Rs 7,100 as pension from the state assembly as a former MLA and Rs 10,000 from agriculture.

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However, I-T department claimed that the separatist leader employed 14 servants at his house, each of who were paid Rs 2,000.

His wife had told the sleuths that she was given Rs 25,000 per month for kitchen expenses and that the family lived in a rented house. However, she did not specify the rent amount or who owned the house.

The department found that Geelani's driver and close confidant G M Baba possessed a truck worth Rs 240,000 and a drilling machine worth Rs 140,000 besides documents relating to mining contract of stone quarries.