IT dept gives Janardhan Reddy questionnaire on daughter's wedding expenses

Janardhana Reddy arrived in Ballari an hour after IT officials reached his building
IT dept gives Janardhan Reddy questionnaire on daughter's wedding expenses
IT dept gives Janardhan Reddy questionnaire on daughter's wedding expenses
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Days after mining baron and former minister G Janardhana Reddy organized the wedding of his daughter Brahmani, IT department officials turned up at his offices in Ballari district, with a questionnaire for the expenses incurred.

Around 2pm on Monday,  few government officials entered his offices, located on the premises of the Obalapuram Mining Company office building, which is located near his house on Siruguppa road.

The News Minute has a copy of the notice and questionnaire that the IT Department had for Janardhana.

In a document dated November 21, the Office of the Assistant Director of Income Tax (Investigations) in Bengaluru issued Janardhana a notice under Section 133A(5) of the Income Tax Act, 1961, and told him to furnish the details of the expenses in the prescribed format. He is legally bound to reply to that questionnaire before November 25.

Among the details sought are the number of events organised, the number of guests who turned up, and the total expenses for each and the "immediate source of such expenditure". The questionnaire also sought details of event managers, individuals, to whom payments had been made. Janardhana is also supposed to give a detailed break-up of expenses - lighting, flowers, jewellery, clothes, entertainment, transportation, accommodation, photography, videography, religious functions, pandals, catering, secuirty, venue, payments to priests, invitation cards. The IT Department also sought details of the items, such as jewellery and clothing, which had been purchsed for the family and relatives.

Financial information sought included the bank accounts from which the money had come, the source of cash, the debit cards and credit cards from which the payments had been made, and also information on outstanding payments. 

Since his release on bail, Reddy is not permitted to visit Ballari district, where he is accused of carrying out illegal mining through his companies. However, he has obtained permission from the Supreme Court to visit Ballari city until November 21 in light of his daughter’s wedding.

There was a lot of speculation during Reddy’s daughter Brahmani’s wedding was scheduled to be held on whether there would be an investigation into the money that was spent. There was a lot of comment that Reddy had organized the wedding with allegedly ‘ill-gotten’ wealth. Janardhana Reddy is currently being investigated for illegal mining and corruption by the CBI. An RTI activist based out of Bengaluru had approached the IT department asking them to probe the source of the wedding fund.

Several politicians decried the vulgarly lavish wedding. However, many politicians, including BJP state president and former chief minister BS Yeddyuappa, attended the wedding. Yeddyurappa, with whom Janardhana and his brothers Somashekara and Karunakara fell out, had stated beforehand that he would attend the wedding as it was a private function.

In an ironic move, Janardhana Reddy had gifted the guests who came for his daughter’s wedding a pair of saplings. Former Karnataka Lokyukta N Santhosh Hegde had, in the report on illegal mining in the state, alleged that the mining by various companies, had wrecked the environment of the district. 

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