DB directs respondents to file fresh status report

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 31: In a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Balvinder Singh and others regarding recovery of Sales Tax & VAT from all the defaulters, Division Bench of High Court comprising Justice Hasnain Massodi and Justice Tashi Rabstan directed respondents to file fresh status report regarding recovery of arrears of taxes.
When the PIL came up for hearing, Senior Advocate Sunil Sethi appearing for the PIL, submitted, “one of the reason given by respondents to explain their failure to recover tax from the defaulters is that large number of defaulters are migrants or not traceable”.
“For this, Division Bench has already passed directions on July 2, 2013 to the Commissioner, Commercial/Sales Tax for furnishing details of all those defaulters, whose warrants have been received back unexecuted for want of correct particulars of their units and residential premises, to the IGPs”, he said, adding “even directions were issued to the Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner for furnishing details of the migrant defaulters”.
He pointed out that IGP Kashmir has submitted in the compliance report that only four defaulters were traced-out.
After going through the compliance report, the DB directed IGPs to take necessary steps on the receipt of information and submit fresh compliance report within four week indicating the progress made in recovery of arrears of tax.