Court summons Jayalalitha

CHENNAI, Dec 9: Former Chief Minister J Jayalalitha has been summoned to appear before V Periyakaruppiah, Judge, Economic Offences Court, Egmore, Chennai, on January 20, 1998, in connection with a case relating to non-submission of returns for the wealth possessed by her for the year 1993-94.

According to a complaint filed by the Assistant Commissioner, Wealth Tax, Central Circle-II, Chennai, Jayalalitha was assessed to wealth tax since the assessment year 1966-67. For the assessment year 1992-93, she filed a return of wealth for Rs 5.81 crore and her net wealth was assessed at Rs 6.53 crore. But for the assessment year 1993-94, the valuation date for which was March 31, 1993, she did not file the return before the due date of August 31, 1993. Thereby, she had committed an offence under Section 35-B of the Wealth Tax Act.

The complaint said that in spite of service of a statutory notice on January 19, 1994 and a reminder on February 10, 1995, she neither sent a reply nor filed the return. The assessment was completed under Section 16(5) of the Wealth Tax Act on February 15, 1996, on a total taxable wealth of Rs 3.17 crore and the wealth tax to be paid by her was determined at Rs 3.02 lakh, against which she filed an appeal. In pursuance of an order passed by the Wealth Tax Commissioner (appeals) on June 16, 1997, the assessment was revised at Rs 1.34 crore and the wealth tax payable was determined at Rs 1.19 lakh with interest, which came to about Rs 1.91 lakh.