Income Tax Department attaches Rs 400 cr 'benami' plot to Mayawati's brother and his wife

BSP chief Mayawati’s brother and his wife come under the grip of the Income-Tax Department as an unknown plot in Noida has been linked to the political leader’s family. A ‘benami’ plot costing around Rs 400 crore in Noida is said to belong to Mayawati’s brother and sister-in-law and investigation into the same have been initiated by the IT department.

Notably, Mayawati’s brother Anand Kumar and his wife Vichiter Lata are found to have “beneficially owned” a seven-acre plot. Delhi-based Benami Prohibition Unit (BPU) of the department had issued a provisional order for the attachment of the land on July 16.

The specific seven-acre land, as considered by the department, is a ‘benami’ property of Kumar and his wife. As per the measurement conducted by the department, the asset measures 28,328.07 square meters.

Reportedly, it was very recently when Anand Kumar was appointed as the national vice president of the Bahujan Samaj Party by his sister Mayawati.

As per the law a violator of the Benami Act is liable to face rigorous imprisonment which may range up to seven years. The violator will also be liable to pay a fine up to 25 per cent of fair market value of the ‘benami’ property. This means, if the charges against the political leader’s brother are proved, he will be liable to pay a whopping fine along with the possibility of being imprisoned.

An action under the new Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2016 has already been initiated by the IT department from November 1, 2016 as soon as the dormant-lying law was enforced by the Modi government-enforced from 2016.

As the Income Tax Department is the nodal department in enforcing the Benami Act in the country, the investigations on this matter are also run by this department.

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