Kanimozhi won't disclose her I-T info.

The Times of India; Fri, 29 Apr 2011,

CHENNAI: After chief minister M Karunanidhi, Union ministers Dayanidhi Maran and P Chidambaram and spectrum scam accused A Raja, Karunanidhi's daughter and Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi has objected to the disclosure of her tax returns by the income tax department under Right To Information Act.

V Gopalakrishnan, an activist in KK Nagar, filed an RTI application with the income tax department last month seeking copies of Kanimozhi's returns for five years from 2006-07 to 2010-11.

On April 1, the public information officer of the department sent a letter to Kanimozhi who was recently included as an accused in the spectrum scam. She gave her response to the official, strongly objecting to the disclosure of her IT returns to the RTI applicant.

In her April 8 communication, she said: "Income tax returns are confidential documents and they cannot be disclosed to a third person. Right to information cannot be at the cost of one's personal liberty and right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.''

Stating that section 138 of the Income Tax Act prohibited the disclosure of IT returns unless there was a public interest involved, Kanimozhi said she had submitted her property details along with her nomination when she contested Rajya Sabha elections. These details were required by the Election Commission of India and were available on the website, she said.

Accepting her objection, the I-T department rejected Gopalakrishnan's RTI application.

In his reply, dated April 21, the public information officer said: "Information sought for by the applicant is personal information of a third party and the disclosure of which has no relationship with any public activity or interest.''

The applicant could file an appeal before the income tax department's appellate authority against the rejection of the RTI application, the official said.

Kanimozhi had requested the department to give her a copy of the application filed by Gopalakrishnan, to know the grounds of public interest on which the information was sought for. The official, however, said there was no need give a copy to her. "It is suffice if the third party (Kanimozhi) is informed about the information sought for by the applicant,'' the official said in his order.