Income Tax Department denies searches at Tamil Nadu Congress chief K Selvaperunthagai’s house

THe Income assess section (IT) on tues said it filed a complaint with the police force and the Election direction against K. Selvaperunthagai, President of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee, for allegedly disseminating false information and making defamatory allegations against the department. In a press statement, the IT Department denied conducting any searches at Selvaperunthagai’s premises or detaining him. It clarified that his claims of being held by IT officials during a search operation—allegedly preventing him from campaigning—were incorrect.Selvaperunthagai told HT he has the evidence of the department’s search operations and will soon hold a press conference.The I-T department said in a statement -- It has been brought to the notice of the Income Tax Department that a post dated 20.04.2026 was published on the social media platform X by K. Selvaperunthagai, President of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee and candidate from Sriperumbudur Assembly Constituency, wherein he alleged that officials of the Income Tax Department, under the pretext of conducting a search, had unlawfully confined him within the constituency and prevented him from discharging his political duties and participating in election-related activities. The said allegations were further reiterated by him during interactions with media on the same day. In addition, certain sections of the media also reported that the residence of Shri K. Selvaperunthagai at Kilpauk, Chennai had been subjected to a search by the Income Tax Department.The department launched an inquiry to verify the leader’s claims. “The allegations made are entirely baseless and factually incorrect. It is clarified that no search, survey, or any form of enforcement action was carried out by the Income Tax Department against Shri K. Selvaperunthagai on 20.04.2026 or on any date in the recent past. Further, no action whatsoever was undertaken that could have restricted his movement. It is also clarified that no premises, including his residence at Kilpauk, Chennai, were covered under any Income Tax proceedings as claimed in the reports, “ the statement said.According to the department, “limited verification exercises” were carried out in parts of Sriperumbudur based on specific intelligence inputs regarding suspected movement of unaccounted cash. However, it emphasised that these exercises were not connected to Selvaperunthagai in any manner.In response to the I-T department’s allegations, Selvaperunthagai said, “ I have all the evidence in the form of video footage along with the faces of those who conducted the searches. I will release it to the press once polling is over. I will hold a press conference.”Meanwhile in West Bengal, the I-T department flagged discrepancies in the asset declaration of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Debashis Kumar following search and seizure operations conducted on April 17, officials familiar with the development said. The officials added that while a notice has been sent to the TMC legislator, the I-T department has also submitted a detailed report to the Election Commission.“There were discrepancies in the details submitted in the election affidavit and what was recovered during the searches. Certain valuables, including diamond jewellery and bullion, were not disclosed in the affidavit. Significant variation was also noted in the quantity of gold declared versus what was found,” an official said.The MLA denied the allegations and said that the I-T department had not contacted him. “Once they write to me official, I will respond. I have not received any communication so far,” he said.People aware of the matter said that the searches carried out at premises linked to Kumar and his associates on April 17 were based on allegations of generation and handling of unaccounted income. During the operation, officials seized diamond jewellery, gold and bullion valued at approximately ₹1.75 crore. Additionally, ₹6 lakh in cash was recovered from a business entity in which the MLA is a partner.“Preliminary findings indicate inconsistencies between the assets declared in Kumar’s election affidavit and those discovered during the searches,” the official said.In a related development, authorities also searched the premises of Kumar’s associate. During this inspection, they found that 8.08 kg of previously seized gold bullion bore foreign hallmarks, raising suspicion of possible customs law violations. The IT department referred the matter to the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) for further examination