Harshad Mehta still top defaulter

Stock broker Late Harshad Mehta and three companies of Sahara Group are among the top 20 individuals and corporate bodies defaulting on income tax with arrears totalling Rs 24,659.19 crore as on June 30, 2002. This was disclosed in the Lok Sabha on Friday during question hour. Mehta owed Rs 5,429.57 crore arrears, A.D. Narottam (Rs 3,564.02 crore), Sahara India Financial Corporation (Rs 3,192.54 crore), Hiten Dalal (Rs 2,086.98 crore) and Northern Coal Fields (Rs 1,857.87 crore), Minister of State for Finance and Company Affairs G.N. Ramachandran said in a written answer.

Also answering questions MoS Anandrao V. Adsul informed LS that ICICI Bank has issued notices to 24 defaulters with the total amount claimed against these companies amounting to Rs 1,921.40 crore. Arrears against Sahara India Mutual Benefit Co was Rs 1,002.72 cr, Shaw Wallace (Rs 944.69 cr), Bhupinder Dalal (Rs 745.54 cr), Maruti Udyog (Rs 739.88 cr), IDBI (Rs 737.39 cr), Ashwin Mehta (Rs 640.63 cr), VSNL (569.5 cr), S. Ramaswamy (564.88 cr), Growmore Research and Asset Management (Rs 402.67 cr), Rolex Holdings (Rs 389.96 cr), Sahara India Airlines (Rs 383.58 cr), Max Telecom Ventures (Rs 370.53 cr), GTC Industries (Rs 367.22 cr), Triumph International (Rs 342.88 cr) and Ganapati Exports (Rs 326.14 cr), he said.