CBDT: Rs700 cr tax evasion by Dainik Bhaskar

New Delhi, July 25

Two days after raids on two media groups — Bhopal-headquartered Dainik Bhaskar Group and Lucknow-based Hindi news channel Bharat Samachar, the CBDT said the former had “evaded taxes” to the tune of Rs 700 crore over six years by indulging in cyclical trading of Rs 2,200 crore and the latter made “unaccounted” transactions of Rs 200 crore.

The CBDT though did not name Dainik Bhaskar, officials in the Income Tax Department said the details of the company referred in the statement was that of DB Group having interests in media, real estate, textiles and power. In case of Bharat Samachar, the CBDT did not identify the company, but IT officials said raids were carried out on July 22 at Lucknow, Basti, Varanasi, Jaunpur and Kolkata and on the premises of the channel’s Editor-in-Chief Brajesh Misra, state head Virendra Singh and BJP MLA from UP’s Harraiya Ajay Singh. — TNS