Income Tax officials are searching the office premises belonging to AIADMK mouthpiece Jaya TV in Chennai. In addition, raids are being conducted at nine other firms at various places in Tamil Nadu and across India, The Hindu reported.
Support Independent Media
The media must be free and fair, uninfluenced by corporate or state interests. That's why you, the public, need to pay to keep news free.
ContributeThe search are a part of a operation called clean money, The Hindu quoted an unknown IT official as saying. According to The Times of India officials are also searching the residence of Vivek Jayaraman, AIADMK leader VK Sasikala’s nephew, who controls Jaya TV. Though started by former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, the channel has been controlled by jailed AIADMK leader VK Sasikala’s family members. Sasikala is currently serving a four-year term in jail over charges of corruption.
The searches that had started early in the morning were being conducted based on information of concealment of income and evasion of tax, TOI quoted unnamed senior officials as saying. “We have confirmed information about concealment of income and tax evasion. We have been monitoring the activities of the TV channel as well as its senior officials,” an unnamed senior I-T official was quoted as saying.
Power NL-TNM Election Fund
General elections are around the corner, and Newslaundry and The News Minute have ambitious plans together to focus on the issues that really matter to the voter. From political funding to battleground states, media coverage to 10 years of Modi, choose a project you would like to support and power our journalism.
Ground reportage is central to public interest journalism. Only readers like you can make it possible. Will you?