Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai

Mumbai, Apr 25: A south Mumbai-based director of a jewellery company was sentenced to three months rigorous (involving hard labour) imprisonment for deliberately not filing income tax returns for the assessment year 2014-15 within the due date despite repeated notices.

The Ballard Pier magistrate court held the company, Ms Shah Time and Jewels Pvt Ltd and its director, Opera House-based Paresh C Shah, guilty.

Special public prosecutor Amit Munde said that both were also fined Rs 5,000 each.

Shah’s defence of “lack of knowledge” and that another director who was responsible for filing returns had deliberately not done so was refuted by the court. The man had resigned and was not the director at the time of filing returns for the assessment year 2014-15, the court observed.

Additional chief metropolitan magistrate R S Sarkale said that the accused received the notice, but no explanation was given to the same despite repeatedly serving the notices. The explanation before the court is not at all acceptable, he said.