Shah Rukh Khan’s seaside Alibaug bungalow attached by I-T department

Action was taken after inquiry showed that the agricultural plot was used to build a bungalow and not used for farming, as required.

The income tax (I-T) department has provisionally attached a bungalow in Alibaug owned by Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s Deja Vu Farms Pvt. Ltd.

The department initiated its action on Tuesday under provisions of the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act, labelling the property as ‘benami’. (HT File Photo)

The sprawling beachside property in Alibaug, spread over 20,000 sq metres, is estimated to be worth around Rs 250 crore.

The department has taken action as the seaside agricultural land was allegedly bought for farming, but used to build a farmhouse. The Maharashtra Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act does not allow the transfer of agricultural land to non-agriculturists or for non-agricultural use without the permission of the Collector or the state government, which neither Khan nor Deja Vu procured.

The department initiated its action on Tuesday under provisions of the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions (PBPT) Act , labelling the property as ‘benami’.

In December 2017, it had issued an attachment notice for the property. Following this, it had 90 days to attach the property. Action was initiated as per provisions under section 24 of the IT Act.

Preliminary inquiry revealed that the property belonged to the actor despite it being registered in somebody else’s name. This falls under the definition of a ‘benami’ transaction as per section 2 (9) of the PBPT Act, where Deja Vu Farms acted as benamidar for the actor, who is the beneficiary. This observation was submitted to the adjudicating authority while seeking a go-ahead for the provisional attachment.

Last year, a Pune-based RTI activist had submitted an application at Mumbai’s Khar police station for criminal investigation of the entire matter.