Vadra’s Skylight Hospitality gets I-T notice

The income tax department has served notice on Skylight Hospitality, a firm associated with Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, seeking details of the company's financial deals.

The I-T department, reports said, has sought details of Skylight Hospitality's transactions with DLF, its association with Onkareshwar Properties and the ''cost of acquisition of commercial colony licences'' in Haryana, The Indian Express reports.

Skylight Hospitality held 3.53 acres of land in Manesar, Haryana and 470 acres in Bikaner, Rajasthan.

The I-T department is reported to have sent a set of 22 questions to the firm seeking details of its financial and land deals.

While the BJP called the move a natural administrative process, Congress said it was political vendetta.

The preliminary notice seeking details of transactions was sent about a week back. Skylight hospitality, which has been at the centre of a controversy over its land deals with DLF, has been given two weeks to respond.

The firm has been asked to give complete details of all its land transactions.

The BJP, reacting to the news, called it a natural administrative process in all cases where windfall gains have been made.

''It is the responsibility of the tax authorities to seek details of any doubtful transaction. Robert Vadra has made several crores in windfall transactions,'' BJP spokesman G V L Narsimha Rao said.

Robert Vadra will have an opportunity to explain his position, he said.

The Congress called it a case of political vendetta.

Congress leader Manish Tewari said this government believes in using state tools to hound its political opponents.

"It is wrong on the part of media and everyone to raise questions every time a notice is served in an ongoing process," Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.