Now Reading: Gujarat CID files FIRs in Rs 600 crore political donation scam
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Gujarat CID files FIRs in Rs 600 crore political donation scam
The Gujarat CID-Crime has registered FIRs against three little-known political parties for allegedly running a bogus donation racket that caused a tax loss of nearly Rs 600 crore to the exchequer. The…
The Gujarat CID-Crime has registered FIRs against three little-known political parties for allegedly running a bogus donation racket that caused a tax loss of nearly Rs 600 crore to the exchequer. The parties named are Swatantrata Abhivyakti Party, Satyavadi Rakshak Party (also called Bharatiya National Janata Dal by Deccan Herald), and Garib Kalyan Party. Complaints were filed by the Income Tax Department.
According to the FIRs, the parties collected donations from taxpayers, deducted a commission of 2% to 10%, and returned the remaining cash via hawala channels. Donors claimed tax deductions using receipts, while the parties submitted false contribution reports to the Election Commission. Rediff.com reports the total scam value at Rs 314 crore, while Deccan Herald and Telangana Today cite figures up to Rs 1,143 crore for BNJD alone, with an aggregate tax loss of Rs 600 crore. A fourth FIR is expected next week.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The three sources report largely the same facts but differ on the headline figure: Rediff.com leads with Rs 314 crore, while Deccan Herald and Telangana Today foreground a cumulative Rs 600 crore loss and the Rs 1,143 crore BNJD case. This discrepancy likely reflects different stages of investigation. All three adopt a neutral-report stance, simply relaying the I-T department's allegations. The key watch item is whether the fourth FIR, which Deccan Herald says may involve over Rs 2,000 crore in donations, is filed next week.
The tribunal hears the appeal on 12 September.
Coverage: 3 sources, 3 neutral
Sources (3): rediff.com (neutral report), deccanherald.com (neutral report), telanganatoday.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry.
Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources.
