Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin condemned the searches, saying the Union government was misusing independent agencies for political gains.
It is not the first time IT has raided the MP. In 2016, the agency raided Jagathrakshakan and seized liquid cash to the tune of Rs 20 crores and several kilograms of gold.
Officials of the Income Tax (I-T) Department on Thursday, 5 October, searched the properties of former Union minister and DMK MP S Jagathrakshakan, known to be the party’s fundraiser.
Searches were carried out at 40 locations in Tamil Nadu, including at his medical colleges, educational institutions, liquor factory, pharmaceutical facilities, and hotels.
Sources said a team of I-T officials with state police protection searched Jagathrakshakan’s house at Adayar and office at T Nagar in Chennai early on Thursday. Simultaneous searches were carried out at Kanchipuram.
Searches were also conducted at Hotel Accord at T Nagar, owned by the politician. Officials also inspected the colleges run by Jagathrakshakan: Saveetha Medical College at Kuthambakkam, Sree Balaji Medical College & Hospital at Chennai, Dr Rela Hospital and Institute, Bharath University and Bharath Vidyaashram institutions.
A senior I-T official told South First that the searches were conducted on suspicion of tax evasion. He, however, did not divulge more details.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin condemned the searches.
He said arresting AAP MP Sanjay Singh and raiding MP Jagathrakshakan’s home were examples of the BJP government’s misuse of independent investigating agencies for political gains against INDIA bloc leaders.
The Union BJP Government's vindictive politics knows no bounds!
Arresting AAP MP Sanjay Singh and raiding DMK MP Jagathrakshakan's home are clear examples of their misuse of independent investigating agencies for political ends against INDIA bloc leaders.
This deliberate… https://t.co/xZYkWDA7CI
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) October 5, 2023
“The BJP is clearly afraid of the growing unity among opposition parties. It’s time they stopped the witch-hunt and focused on addressing real issues,” he tweeted.
I-T sleuths had searched Jagathrakshakan in 2016 and seized ₹20 crore in cash and gold weighing several kilograms in 2016.
Further, the agency found that the former minister’s family members held a stake in a Singapore-based company.
The search also led to the discovery of documents about Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) worth $3.85 billion in an oil refinery in Sri Lanka.
In 2007, when Jagathrakshakan was a minister of states for commerce and industry, he was accused of using his influence to allocate coal to one of his companies. His name was later mentioned in the infamous Coalgate scam.
In September 2020, the Enforcement Directorate seized properties worth ₹89.19 crore from Jagathrakshakan and his family members for violating the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
The ED found that Jagathrakshakan and his son Sundeep Aanand had subscribed to 70 lakh and 20 lakh shares, respectively (valued at Singapore $1 per share), of Silver Park International Pte Ltd, Singapore, without the approval of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
In 1985, Jagathrakshakan was first elected from the Arakkonam Lok Sabha constituency on an AIADMK ticket.
He later shifted allegiance to the DMK and got elected from the same constituency in 1999, 2009, and 2019. He was the first politician in Tamil Nadu to start a professional college.
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