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15
March 2017
 |
NDTV (The Total Investment & Insurance
Solutions)
The Delhi
High Court has vacated a stay granted by the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal
(ITAT) on the Rs525 crore penalty on New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV), saying
that the Tribunal does not have any powers in this matter. This is a big
setback to the Prannoy Roy-controlled NDTV within this month.
The Delhi
High Court was hearing the case (W.P.(C)1327/2017) related with a stay granted
by the ITAT on 15 September 2016. In its order, the ITAT had directed Income
Tax (I-T) Department not to pass any order for the proposed penalty of Rs525
crore against NDTV till final disposal of the main appeal pending before the
Tribunal. The Total Investment
& Insurance Solutions
However, the
HC Bench of Justice S Ravindra Bhat and Justice Najmi Waziri felt that, in such
matters, the ITAT does not have any powers in the penalty matter and hence the
stay given by the Tribunal was vacated. The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions
A senior
official from NDTV said the company will appeal against the ruling of Delhi
High Court. “This entire case relates to a baseless and outrageous charge by
the Income Tax department that in effect accuses (Jeff Immelt, CEO) GE (US) as
well as (Jeff Zucker, then CEO) NBC (US) of money laundering -- which is an
offence that is punishable with jail in the US. In 2008, NBC (a 100% subsidiary
of GE) invested $150 million in an entertainment wing of NDTV. Subsequently,
without any evidence whatsoever, the I-T Department in Delhi called this legitimate
investment a 'sham transaction' and in effect accused NDTV of round tripping
money and using NBC and GE to act as a 'front' in a case of money laundering by
GE and NBC,” says KVL Narayana Rao, Group Chief Executive & Executive Vice
Chairperson of NDTV, in an email reply.
The Total Investment & Insurance Solutions
He says,
“The ITAT has been unable to hear the case as the Delhi I-T Department has
asked for 20 consecutive adjournments - with a succession of flimsy excuses.
With the basic case not even being heard, the Delhi I-T department suddenly
tried to levy a further penalty on NDTV for a delay in the case. Please note
the delay is entirely the fault of the Delhi IT dept. asking for adjournments.
The ITAT stayed the penalty. Now the Delhi High Court has ruled that the ITAT
does not have the authority to stay the penalty. The Delhi I-T department's
accusations against GE, NBC and NDTV are very damaging for the global image of
India. With all due respect to the High Court, NDTV will appeal against
this ruling.”
Earlier this
month, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) rejected NDTV's application to compound
from the Rs2,030 crore notice issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under
the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). "Filing compounding
application to RBI by those who served notice under FEMA means that they have
admitted their contravention in routing money from abroad and plead guilty by
paying a fine. So NDTV admitted its guilt and offered its readiness to pay a
fine. Many FEMA defaulters were using this compounding method to escape from
being prosecuted under the FEMA. Continuing prosecution under FEMA also has a
danger of converting the case to PMLA, when money laundering is
established," says an article in PGurus.com.
However,
according to Mr Narayan Rao, the RBI has not rejected NDTV's application for
settlement under FEMA provisions. “The RBI has asked NDTV to approach a
particular division of the RBI called the Foreign Investment Division of RBI's
Central Office,” he said.
Earlier in
November 2015, the ED had slapped a Rs2,030 crore notice on NDTV for allegedly
violating FEMA provisions for routing huge funds through the channel’s foreign
units. The notice served to promoters Prannoy Roy, his wife Radhika Roy and senior
executive KVL Narayan Rao stated that NDTV had violated RBI provisions on fund
transfers. The Total Investment
& Insurance Solutions
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