Trouble for Mayawati? Former secretary under Income Tax radar

Netaram was the secretary of the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh- Mayawati during 2003-05. He was also the head of Excise dept in UP govt.

Lucknow| The Income Tax Department has seized 230 crores of ‘Benami’ property of retired IAS officer Netaram, who was the secretary of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati. Official sources said that the department has seized his 19 immovable properties in Delhi, Noida, Kolkata and Mumbai. Netaram was the secretary of the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh- Mayawati during 2003-05. At the same time, Netaram has also been the head of Excise, Sugarcane Industries Department, Posts and Registration, Food and Civil Supplies Departments in Uttar Pradesh.

Also Read: IT attaches properties worth 400 crores of BSP Chief Mayawati’s brother

The officer said that under section 24 (3) of the Benami Property Transaction Prohibition Act, 1988, the Delhi Investigation Unit of the department has issued a temporary order of confiscation against Netaram.

The property seized is both commercial and residential. It is alleged that the investigation revealed that the former officer had invested his ‘undisclosed cash’ in various benami properties through various complex companies controlled by him with the help of his close associates, using the names of his close relatives.

It was first raided in March

The Income Tax Department raided various bases of Netaram in March this year. During this period, cash of Rs 1.64 crore and five expensive SUVs were seized. The department had also claimed to have recovered documents related to the Benami property worth Rs 300 crore. The Benami Property Transaction Prohibition Act was inactive since 1988 and the Modi government implemented it from November 2016. Those violating the law can be imprisoned for up to seven years.