TV producers get three months jail for income tax delay

TV production company and its directors Yash Patnaik and Mamta Patnaik have been sentenced to three months imprisonment for not submitting ?8.37 crore income tax.

Mumbai: A metropolitan magistrate court has convicted a television production company and its directors Yash Patnaik and Mamta Patnaik for not submitting ₹8.37 crore income tax. The court has sentenced the directors to three months imprisonment in three cases filed by the Income Tax department and imposed a fine of ₹5,000 in each three cases.

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While holding them guilty, the court said, “If the payment is made at a belated stage, then it will be treated as default and appropriate action can be taken under the Act (Income Tax Act). It is also clear that depositing TDS with delay does not absolve criminal liability.”

The Income Tax department had filed three complaints against the firm and its directors which are engaged in making several known TV series. The special public prosecutor Amit Munde argued that the firm deducted the tax at the source and collected money from the clients but failed to deposit the same with the department in time.

In its defence, the firm and its directors had pleaded that when the department issued notice they had responded to the same. It was contended that the firm did not deposit the money due to financial difficulties which was explained to the officer.