News Analysis India

Tag: Anurag Kashyap

  • Taapsee Pannu, Anurag Kashyap were raided by I-T in 2013 as well: FM Nirmala Sitharaman

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: In comments seen as defending income tax raids on Bollywood actor Taapsee Pannu and filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said the same persons were raided in 2013 as well, but no issue was made out then as it is being done now.

    Refusing to comment on individual cases, she said it is in the national interest to know if some evasion is happening.

    “First of all, I am not commenting on any A or B individual. (But) since the names were taken, (I want to say) the very same names were raided in 2013,” she said in an interaction with journalists at IWPC (Indian Women’s Press Corps).

    ​ALSO READ | Manipulation in crores found during raids on Anurag Kashyap, Taapsee Pannu, says I-T dept

    It “wasn’t an issue (in 2013). It’s an issue now,” she said.

    She, however, did not talk about the outcome of the 2013 raids and if any follow-up action was taken in the last seven years.

    The Income Tax Department on March 3 began raids on the homes and offices of Pannu and Kashyap as well as his partners, who launched the now-shuttered production house Phantom Films.

    The searches, part of a tax evasion probe against Phantom Films, carried out across 30 locations in Mumbai and Pune, also covered Reliance Entertainment group CEO Shibhasish Sarkar and some executives of celebrity and talent management companies KWAN and Exceed.

    Asked to comment on the raids, Sitharaman spoke of the 2013 raids not being an issue and they suddenly become one now.

    “Answer it for the hypocrisy or answer it, saying from then this is happening till now, what’s the matter (with now),” she said.

    “In the national interest, do we want to know if there is some evasion happening.”

    ALSO READ | Over Rs 650 crore discrepancies found after raids on Taapsee Pannu, Anurag Kashyap and others, claims IT Dept

    Pannu and Kashyap are both known to be outspoken in their views on a range of issues.

    “I don’t know. I am not commenting on a particular case. But if that relates to particular names I want to ask – should we raise questions whether there was a serious omission and commission or should we raise a question about ‘oh it’s happening now’?” Sitharaman said.

    “Please look back. It happened in 2013.”

    The tax department in a statement on Thursday stated that search and survey operations were carried out in Mumbai, Pune, Delhi and Hyderabad.

    “During the search, evidence of huge suppression of income by the leading film production house compared to the actual box office collections has been unearthed,” it had said, referring to Kashyap’s venture.

    “The company officials have not been able to explain the discrepancy of around Rs 300 crore.”

    ​ALSO READ | NCP says Income Tax raids on Anurag Kashyap, Taapsee Pannu ‘a bid to curb voices of dissent’

    “Evidence related to manipulation and under-valuation of share transactions of the production house amongst the film directors and shareholders, having tax implication of about Rs 350 crore has been found and is being further investigated,” it had said, adding “evidence” of cash receipts by the actor amounting to Rs 5 crore had been recovered.

    Tax department sources said some inter-linked transactions between the entities searched are under the scanner of the department.

    The raids, they added, are aimed at gathering more evidence to further probe tax evasion allegations against them.

    Founded in 2011, Phantom Films produced films such as “Lootera”, “Queen”, “Ugly”, “NH 10”, “Masaan” and “Udta Punjab”.

    However, it was disbanded seven years later.

    Kashyap later launched a new production company called Good Bad Films.

  • Over Rs 650 crore discrepancies found after raids on Taapsee Pannu, Anurag Kashyap and others, claims IT Dept

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Income Tax Department has detected financial irregularities of over Rs 650 crore after it raided two film production companies, two talent management companies and a leading actress, the Central Board of Direct Taxes claimed on Thursday but did not take any names.

    The statement from the CBDT came as raids on the homes and offices of Bollywood actor Taapsee Pannu, director Anurag Kashyap and his partners who launched the now-shuttered Phantom Films continued in Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad for the second day.

    The searches also covered some executives of celebrity and talent management companies KWAN and Exceed, officials said.

     A day later, without naming the people or companies searched, the CBDT said the entities searched were mainly engaged in the business of production of motion pictures, web series, acting, direction and talent management of celebrities and other artists.

    Official sources identified the entities raided as Pannu and the four former promoters of Phantom Films — Kashyap, director-producer Vikramaditya Motwane, producer Vikas Bahl and producer-distributor Madhu Mantena.

    ALSO READ | NCP says Income Tax raids on Anurag Kashyap, Taapsee Pannu ‘a bid to curb voices of dissent’

    They also identified the celebrity and talent management companies as Kwan and Exceed.

    The second film production company that was raided belongs to Kashyap, the sources said.

    “Evidence of huge suppression of income by the leading film production house compared to the actual box office collections has been unearthed,” the statement from CBDT, the administrative body of the IT Department, claimed.

    “The company officials have not been able to explain the discrepancy of around Rs 300 crore,” it said.

    Evidence related to “manipulation and under-valuation” of share transactions of the production house amongst the film directors and shareholders, with a tax implication of about Rs 350 crore has also been found and is being further investigated, it alleged.

    “Evidence of cash receipts by the leading actress amounting to Rs 5 crore has been recovered and further investigation is going on,” the CBDT claimed.

    Also, “non-genuine or bogus expenditure” to related concerns by the leading producers and directors having tax implication of about Rs 20 crore has been detected, the statement said.

    “Similar findings have been made in the case of the leading actress also,” it alleged.

    The statement added that a “huge amount” of digital data has been seized in the form of emails, WhatsApp chats, hard disk from the offices of the two talent management companies.

    A total of seven bank lockers were found and placed under restraint, the CBDT statement said.

    ALSO READ | Government trying to harass farmers, supporters: SKM on I-T raids at premises of Taapsee Pannu, Anurag Kashyap

    The searches against Mantena are also being carried out in context of his links with KWAN, of which he is a co-promoter, officials said.

    While Kwan’s client list includes Deepika Padukone, Exceed manages Saif Ali Khan and Sonakshi Sinha among others.

    Pannu, 33, and Kashyap, 48, both known to be outspoken in their views on a range of issues, were shooting in Pune on Wednesday and were understood to have been questioned by the tax sleuths as part of the preliminary questioning that takes place during raids.

    Kashyap and Pannu, who worked together in the 2018 film “Manmarziyaan”,  are now collaborating in the upcoming film “Dobaara”.Pannu’s last tweet was on March 1, when she spoke on the Supreme Court asking a man accused of repeated rape whether he was willing to marry the woman.

    When the court was told he is already married, he was asked to seek regular bail from the concerned court.

    The actor, who has made a name for herself in films such as “Pink”, “Thappad” and “Badla”, put out a strong-worded post on the matter.

    Kashyap, who had visited JNU and Shaheen Bagh during the anti-CAA protests last year and is also known to be vocal about his views, has been quiet on Twitter in recent times except for occasionally retweeting others.

    Ruling allies Congress and NCP in Maharashtra had criticised the raids and termed them an attempt to suppress the voices of those who speak against the Narendra Modi-led government.

    The raids also attracted huge attention on social media platforms.

  • NCP says Income Tax raids on Anurag Kashyap, Taapsee Pannu ‘a bid to curb voices of dissent’

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik on Wednesday said the Income Tax raids against Bollywood figures Anurag Kashyap and Taapsee Pannu are an attempt to suppress the voices of those who speak against the Narendra Modi-led government.

    “Central agencies like ED, CBI, and Income Tax are being used to target those who take an anti-government stand and speak against the policies of the regime,” the minister told reporters outside Vidhan Bhavan in south Mumbai.

    “The premises of Anurag Kashyap and Pannu have been raided. Both were raising their voices against the Modi government. This action has been carried out to suppress their voices,” said Malik, who is also the chief spokesperson of Sharad Pawar-led NCP.

    The Income Tax Department on Wednesday raided premises linked to the filmmakers, including Anurag Kashyap, who launched the now dissolved production house Phantom Films, Reliance Entertainment group CEO Shibhashish Sarkar and Bollywood actor Taapsee Pannu, officials said.

    The searches were being carried out in over 30 locations in Mumbai and Pune, officials said.