#VAT notice to Vadra firm: No relief from HC; govt says all documents given

Skylight Hospitality Private Limited, a company promoted by Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, failed to get relief from the Punjab and Haryana high court in a controversy over VAT notice slapped by the Haryana government. The matter pertains to Shikohpur land deal in Gurgaon between Skylight and DLF.

The high court on Tuesday disposed of the petition following Haryana government telling the court that all the documents sought by the petitioner firm had been already provided.

The high court had issued a notice to the Haryana government on a petition file by Skylight Hospitality it had claimed that after the notice was served, firm made representations to the department to provide record on the basis of which assessment was made by the excise and taxation department. However, it failed to get the requisite documents.

Skylight Hospitality has challenged a notice of October 12, 2015 by the excise department under section 16 of the Haryana Value Added Tax (VAT) Act, 2003. The sale deed for the 3.53-acre land deal between Vadra’s firm and DLF Limited took place on the payment of stamp duty and other statutory charges in 2012. The firm had accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Haryana of “systematic vendetta” without referring to Vadra, one of the director, alleging that in the run-up to parliamentary elections in 2014 and later Haryana assembly elections, frequent “unsubstantiated allegations” were levelled against one of the directors. The firm had termed VAT notice as part of same vendetta and based on “wrong facts” and “perverse interpretation” of law and facts.