April 25, 2024 21:07 (IST)
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Black money: After SC's direction, Jaitley says govt will disclose all account holders' names
New Delhi, Oct 28 (IBNS): After the Supreme Court directed the Centre to reveal names of all foreign bank account holders by Wednesday in connection with the black money case, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said the government has no problem in following the order.
"The government has no difficulty in giving the list to the court and the government shall place the list before the court," Jaitley told reporters.
He said the Centre has no issues with any agency investigating the matter.
"The government has absolutely no difficulty whatsoever with any agency investigating this matter," the Minister said.
According to him, legal action should be against the black money account holders and the money be brought back to India.
"The government has already given the list to the court constituted Special Investigating Team on June 27. The government is keen that by whatever procedure in accordance with law we must get to the root of the matter," Jaitley said.
"The truth about these names and also these accounts must come out so that penal action can be taken against the people and the money lying there can be brought back to India," he added.
The Finance Minister also made it clear that the government is not keen on protecting any foreign bank account holders in connection with the case.
"The government is not interested in protecting anybody," said Jaitley, whose government will be producing the list before the apex court in a sealed envelope.
The Supreme Court earlier in the day slammed the Centre and asked it to reveal names of all foreign bank account holders by Wednesday in connection with the black money case.
“You don’t have to have a protective umbrella for the (foreign bank) account holders...Doesn't matter even if confidentiality is being breached,” a bench headed by CJI HL Dattu was quoted as saying by media.
The apex court refused to modify its earlier order to the Centre, where it asked the government to reveal all names of foreign bank account holders.
Slamming the government, the court said that the new regime at Centre can't ask for modification of order when it was passed in an open court and accepted by the government.
The bench said the Centre need not do any investigation itself and should pass on the information to the court.
The court will pass further orders of investigation into the case.
The next hearing of the case is scheduled on Wednesday at 10:00 am.
This comes a day after the Centre on Monday named eight people in the Supreme Court in connection with untaxed or black money accounts in foreign nations nailing the Opposition that pilloried it earlier for shying away from its election pledge on the issue, even as political rivals termed the action a 'selective' disclosure.
Pradip Burman of Dabur India, Rajkot-based bullion trader Pankaj Chimanlal Lodhya and Goa-based mining company Timblo Private Limited and its five Directors were among the names that figured in the list which was filed in the apex court by the government.
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