I-T dept’s appeal against Sasikala dismissed

The Madras high court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal by Income Tax Department, challenging a lower court order discharging N Sasikala, a close friend of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalaltihaa, in a case related to an alleged flouting of I-T norms on the purchase of property in 1999. Bringing the curtains down on the decades-old case, Justice B Rajendran upheld the 2004 order of the Economic Offences Court-I here, discharging Sasikala from the case.

The matter relates to purchase of property of a pharmaecutical firm here at a busy Luz Corner commercial area here by Sasikala, her sister-in-law Ilavarasi and nephew V N Sudhakaran. The Income Tax Department filed a case against them, alleging that they had not obtained No Objection Certificate or filed relevant forms before the department, as required.