Karnataka Minister KJ George said the recent Income Tax raids at premises linked to him were “a routine regulatory exercise” related to income tax filings and had nothing to do with any government project.
This comes after the Income Tax Department conducted surveys from July 28 to 30 at multiple locations connected to George and real estate tycoon Jitu Virwani of the Embassy Group, including Golflinks Software Park Private Limited in Bengaluru.
In a statement issued on August 1, George said there was “no connection whatsoever” between the IT department’s visit and the Smart Meter Initiative or the Energy Department of the Karnataka government.
In March this year, the BJP alleged a massive Rs 15,568 crore scam in Karnataka’s smart meter procurement process, accusing the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government of favouritism and irregularities in the tendering process.
“Our teams extended full cooperation to the authorities during this scheduled compliance review,” he added, dismissing what he called “speculative or misleading claims.”
Echoing this position, Golflinks Software Park, in an official note, clarified that the survey conducted under Section 133A of the Income Tax Act was routine and “has no connection to public officials, state government departments, BESCOM contracts, or smart meter-related matters.”
The company called itself an independently managed entity with a “track record of financial integrity” and warned of legal action against anyone spreading “incorrect or misleading information.”
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