CHENNAI: Dr P Balaji, head, minimal access surgery department, Madras Medical College, denied receiving any money from the State Health Minister.
He found himself in the eye of a controversy after the documents leaked by the income tax department showed him having received `5 lakh from Health Minister C Vijaya Basker.
After one of the documents leaked by the I-T department had his name and `5 lakh against it, reports in a section of the media alleged that the doctor received the money for helping attest the late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s thumb impression on election forms of candidates at Thanjavur and Aravakurichi. Some reports also quoted him as saying that the money was received to settle hotel bills of Dr Richard Beale, from London Bridge Hospital, who treated Jayalalithaa at Apollo Hospital.
High Court dismisses V-C S Geethalakshmi’s plea as withdrawn
Chennai: Observing that the summons from the I-T department was not a sudden fall from heaven and that persons occupying responsible and public positions should not evade enquiry by the IT department, the Madras High Court has refused to grant any relief to S Geethalakshmi, vice-chancellor, Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University. Fearing that Justice K Ravichandrabaabu might dismiss her writ petition challenging the summons issued under Sec. 131 of the Income-Tax Act, Geethalakshmi’s senior counsel withdrew the petition. And the judge dismissed it as withdrawn.
“Don’t try to escape the clutches of tax inquiry. You are occupying a responsible position. Income tax summons has come after searches of your premises,” the judge told the V-C.