Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Dec 7: The case relating to recovery of Rs 1.97 crore in cash from the car belonging to advocate, H M Siddharth, in Vidhana Soudha premises witnessed a new twist on Wednesday December 6. The state high court instructed the police to hand over this cash to income tax department (IT).

The case relates to an incident in which Rs 1.97 crore cash was found kept in the boot of a car belonging to an advocate, Siddharth, near Vidhana Soudha. Police personnel of Vidhana Soudha station had seized the car and cash, besides undertaking investigation. IT department, which wanted to find out the real source of this cash, had approached additional chief metropolitan magistrate court seeking to hand over this cash to them as they said that the said cash was not backed by proper documentary evidences. The court had dismissed this petition, after which the IT department had approached the HC.

The single judge bench of the HC presided over by Justice K N Phanindra, which heard the petition filed by deputy director of investigation department of income tax department, S Janardhan, directed the police to hand over this cash to IT department. The HC said that if it was found later that the money was to be returned to police department, IT department has to refund it with interest and that an indemnity bond will have to be executed in this connection before cash is handed over.