Courts angry as Centre has failed to bring back blackmoney:BJP

New Delhi, Jul 16 (PTI) In the wake of the Indian apex
court appointing an SIT to look into the black money issue,
the main opposition BJP on Saturday said courts as well as the
people were angry with the UPA government for its "failure" to
bring back the illegal funds stashed abroad.
"Legally the government has a right to challenge the
court order and seek a review on the formation of SIT to
investigate the black money issue. But at the same time, let
us not forget that the courts and people are angry as the
government has failed to bring back black money," Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said.
He claimed that though the government had promised to
bring back the illegal money within 100 days of assuming power
in 2009, it has not done so till now.
Referring to the Hasan Ali case, Javadekar said the
government has only booked him in a case of Income tax
avoidance, instead of pressing criminal charges against him
for acquiring disproportionate wealth through dubious means.
"Moreover, the Double Taxation avoidance treaty that
India has signed with 40 countries are with prospective
effect," Javadekar said, adding due to this those who had
looted the country for the last 60 years will be spared.
He alleged that though the government could get the
bank account details of Indians holding accounts in tax havens
abroad till now, the UPA dispensation was only interested in a
treaty with prospective effect.
"The money kept abroad is crime money which was made
through illegal transactions, sale of drugs, etc. The
government should first register a case against the culprits
and then pursue it abroad," Javadekar said.
BJP has listed this issue for discussion in the
forthcoming session of Parliament.
Meanwhile, Congress said that the review being sought of
the Indian Supreme Court's order was a matter between the
government and the court.
"This is a matter between the government and the court.
It is enshrined in our Constitution that whenever any
organisation or an individual has any reservations about any
judgement, it appeals to a larger bench or a higher court,"
party spokesman Shakeel Ahmed told reporters here.
The Centre Friday approached the Supreme Court seeking
review and recall of its order for setting up a Special
Investigation Team (SIT) comprising its retired judges to take
over the probe of all black money cases including that of Pune
stud farm owner Hassan Ali Khan.