E-Paper
Punjab Kesari group under scanner over ₹65-cr ‘tax evasion’
The department of excise and taxation has initiated proceedings to determine the tax and impose a penalty under the Punjab GST Act, an official statement said.
The Punjab government on Monday said it has detected tax evasion of ₹65 crore by Hind Samachar Ltd, which publishes the Punjab Kesari newspaper, in the latest move against the publication that has alleged it is being selectively targeted over unfavorable reportage.
The department of excise and taxation has initiated proceedings to determine the tax and impose a penalty under the Punjab GST Act, an official statement said.
The statement added that on February 5, inspections were carried out at the company’s offices at Civil Lines, Jalandhar, and simultaneously at its units in Ludhiana and Bathinda.
The action was based on material evidence gathered through GST return scrutiny, e-way bill analytics, and toll plaza verification, relating to the procurement of 16,807 metric tonnes of newsprint, the statement said.
The media house refused to comment in detail on the charges. When contacted, Avinash Chopra, the group’s owner, said they would comment only after verifying the details mentioned in the government’s press release.
“We have already submitted a written memorandum to the Punjab governor against the state government for targeting our media house,” Chopra added.
In letters addressed to chief minister Bhagwant Mann and governor Gulab Chand Kataria in January, the group had cited, as cases of retaliation for unfavourable coverage, inspections and raids between January 11 and 15 by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, GST, and excise departments at a Jalandhar hotel run by Chopra Hotels Private Limited, along with inspections by the Factories Department at printing presses in Ludhiana and Jalandhar, and actions by the Punjab Pollution Control Board at hotels and press units.
The Punjab government has rejected the allegations, describing them as a “vendetta narrative”. In a press release on January 15, the government said action was taken on the basis of serious and documented violations detected by statutory authorities.
