The survey is being carried out to analyze points associated to worldwide taxation and switch pricing of BBC subsidiary corporations
New Delhi: The Revenue Tax division survey operation in opposition to the BBC India continued for the second day with the sleuths understood to be making copies of digital and paper-based monetary knowledge of the organisation, officers stated Wednesday.
The tax division had launched the motion on Tuesday on the BBC’s Delhi and Mumbai workplaces together with no less than two linked premises as a part of an investigation into alleged tax evasion in opposition to the British broadcaster in India.
Sleuths knocked on the doorways of the BBC round 11:30 AM on Tuesday and they’re nonetheless current, sources conscious of the event informed PTI.
The tax officers are talking to staffers of the BBC within the finance and another departments at the same time as different staffers and journalists had been allowed to depart Tuesday evening.
Some pc peripherals and cell phones had been cloned as a part of the operation, officers had stated.
The motion, which sparked a pointy political debate with the ruling BJP accusing the BBC of “venomous reporting” and the opposition questioning the timing of the transfer, got here weeks after the broadcaster aired a two-part documentary, “India: The Modi Query”, on the prime minister and the 2002 Gujarat riots.
The survey is being carried out to analyze points associated to worldwide taxation and switch pricing of BBC subsidiary corporations, officers had stated on Tuesday.
Whereas there was no official assertion from the Revenue Tax division on the motion, the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) has stated it was cooperating with the authorities.
“The Revenue Tax Authorities stay on the BBC workplaces in New Delhi and Mumbai. Many employees have now left the constructing, however some have been requested to stay and are persevering with to cooperate with the continuing enquiries,” a BBC Information Press Staff stated in a official Twitter submit at 10:26 pm on Tuesday.
We’re supporting our employees throughout this time and proceed to hope to have this case resolved as quickly as doable. Our output and journalism continues as regular and we’re dedicated to serving our audiences in India, the submit added.
As a part of a survey, the Revenue Tax division solely covers the enterprise premises of an organization and doesn’t raid residences and different areas of its promoters or administrators.
The Supreme Courtroom final week dismissed a plea looking for the imposition of a whole ban on the BBC in India within the wake of the controversial documentary, terming the petition “fully misconceived” and “completely meritless”.
One other set of petitions difficult the federal government’s resolution to dam the documentary will probably be heard in April subsequent.
On January 21, the federal government issued instructions to dam a number of YouTube movies and Twitter posts sharing hyperlinks to the documentary.
