Income Tax team in Sirsa to hold search operation at Dera Sacha Sauda

Chandigarh, October 17
A team from investigation wing of the Income Tax Department has reached Sirsa to hold search and survey at Dera Sacha Sauda.
The team led by Assistant Director, Income Tax, Data Ram, will conduct search and survey operations as per the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, said sources in the I-T department.
The team from investigation wing of the department situated in Rohtak arrived in Sirsa in the morning and approached the police for copies of the data from hard discs and computers of Dera Sacha Sauda recovered by them during search and screening operations held last month.
Sources said the police, however, told the team that they could not share the data save with the permission of the court since the entire search operations were conducted under supervision of the court commissioner appointed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
After that, the income tax team moved an application before the Sirsa Chief Judicial Magistrate for getting copies of the data.
Sources said the CJM had given notice to the district police and is likely to pass an order by evening.
Police had conducted search operations at Dera Sacha Sauda from September 7 to 10 after the conviction of its chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh that led to violence in Panchkula, Sirsa and some other parts resulting in the death of 42 people.

On September 28, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Income Tax (I-T) department to probe the allegations of money-laundering surrounding the functioning of Dera Sacha Sauda and its assets in Punjab and Haryana said to be worth hundreds of crores.
When contacted, Data Ram refused to give details saying only the Central Board of Direct Taxation in Delhi was authorised to share details with the media.