Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Jun 6: The special court for economic offences here has sentenced Vishwas Uday Singh Lad, relative of entrepreneur and Congress leader, Santosh Lad, to four years of imprisonment. Vishwas has also been imposed with a fine of two lac rupees for violating income rules and avoiding payment of income tax amounting to Rs 13 crore.

Officials of income tax department had raided the residence and offices of Vishwas in 2012-13 in connection with income tax cheating case. Even after seizure of documents and serving of notices, Vishwas had not provided documentary evidences to prove his innocence. Officials of the department had thereafter registered three cases under sections 276 C (1) and 277 of Income Tax Act in the court for economic offences here. During the hearing, the court found that the charge of creating fake documents for the sole purpose of reducing income tax liability was proved.

The court accordingly ordered jail term of four years and fine of two lac rupees in the case. Principal chief commissioner of income tax department here, B R Balakrishnan, who happens to be the director of investigation, said that for the first time in the recent past, a jail term of four years in income tax case was awarded in the recent past.