Janardhana Reddy's spending on daughter’s big fat wedding comes under I-T scanner

BENGALURU: Former BJP minister and mining baron G Janardhana Reddy's daughter, Bramhani's lavish wedding has finally come under the scanner of the income tax department.

According to official sources, I-T department sleuths have begun probing Reddy's source of funds and alleged tax evasion. This follows a complaint filed by Bengaluru-based senior advocate T Narasimha Murthy.

In his four-page complainant, Murthy has alleged huge tax evasion on Reddy's part and has sought to know his source of income and how he's funding the marriage. Bramhani is tying the knot with Rajeev Reddy, a businessman who owns gold and diamond mines in South Africa and elsewhere, at Palace Grounds on Wednesday. Murthy claims around Rs 650 crore is being spent on the four-day functions.

"Reddy was released from prison in 2015, after serving a five-year jail sentence in illegal mining cases. Besides expensive cars and choppers, Reddy and his wife Lakshmi Aruna's immovable assets, worth around Rs 70 crore, have been seized. Still he has managed to invest crores of rupees in his daughter's wedding. How can this be possible?" Murthy asked in his complaint.

The I-T department's silence had raised many eyebrows, more so because Reddy has extended hi-tech digital invitations to VVIPs, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chief minister Siddaramaiah and Union ministers, among others. "Every day, the PMO and the I-T department have been issuing advertisements claiming that they'd look into the source of income of those who deposit above Rs 2.5 lakh. But they aren't bothered about people who are splurging crores of rupees on a wedding," Murthy said in his complaint.

During the hearing, the director general of income tax (investigation) reportedly asked Murthy to produce evidence to corroborate his charges. In response, Murthy referred to the many media reports on the grand preparations for the wedding at Palace Grounds, which, he said, has been turned into a fortress, with bouncers keeping media at bay. Replica of temples in Hampi and Reddy's house and school in Ballari have been built at the venue. "This is an evidence of ostentatious display of wealth and splurging money," said Murthy.

Sources in the I-T department said that though it's a private affair, the department is keeping a close watch on the activities, especially the spendings, and that it'll deal with Reddy once the functions are over .