Black Money: Can't disclose names of account holders, Modi govt tells SC

October 17, 2014

New Delhi, Oct 17: Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led union government on Friday filed an application in the Supreme Court, saying it cannot disclose details of foreign accounts held by Indians in countries which are governed by bilateral double taxation avoidance treaties.

Senior advocate Ram Jethmalani said that this is an attempt by the union government to shield those who have stashed black money abroad.

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear Centre's application on October 28.

Meanwhile, a high-level delegation of tax and revenue officials is set to soon travel to Switzerland in order to pursue cases of black money and secret accounts held by Indians in banks in the Alpine nation.

Sources said that the delegation, which will lay special focus on a number of pending requests, will be led by Revenue Secretary Shaktikanta Das and will have CBDT chairman KV Chowdary and two other officials of the finance ministry's foreign taxation wing as its members.

The official visit, sources said, was set up in quick time after the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) was taken into confidence by investigative agencies that a one-on-one visit between the officials of the two countries was necessary to take the probe in these cases forward.

Officials said that the decision to send the team has also been cleared by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and the officials would be armed with legal documents, dossiers and the charter of the SIT to satisfy the Swiss authorities as to how much "importance India is giving to unravelling the facts in these cases keeping in mind public sentiments and the government's commitment to unearthing black money".

The upcoming meeting will be the first high-level one between the officials of the two countries after the Narendra Modi government came to power at the Centre with a poll-time promise that it would probe all cases of illegal funds stashed away abroad and ensure legal action in them.

The visit comes against the backdrop of Switzerland refusing to share details on names obtained by Indian authorities through other countries, namely France and Germany, saying they figured in lists stolen by certain ex- employees of the banks concerned and no details can be shared on the basis of illegally-obtained information.

India has been asking Switzerland to cooperate in these cases under obligations of the bilateral Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) and the policies and guidelines framed by OECD, of which both countries are active members.

Sources said the delegation will meet top Swiss banking and government officials in a span of two days.

The last time the two sides met over these issue was in February this year in New Delhi.

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QR-code tips power Mangaluru's major drug bust: 25 arrested in 2 weeks

News Network

December 16,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 16: The Mangaluru City police have significantly escalated their campaign against drug trafficking, arresting 25 individuals and booking 12 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between November 30 and December 13. The crackdown resulted in the seizure of a substantial quantity of illicit substances, including 685.6 grams of MDMA and 1.5 kg of ganja.

The success of this recent drive has been significantly boosted by the city’s innovative, QR code-based anonymous reporting system.

"The anonymous reporting system has received an encouraging response. Several recent arrests were made based on inputs received through this system, helping police tighten the noose around drug peddlers," said the City Police Commissioner.

The latest arrests contribute to a robust year-to-date record, underscoring the police's relentless commitment to combating the drug menace.

Up to December 14 this year, the police have registered a total of 107 cases of drug peddling, leading to the arrest of 219 peddlers. Furthermore, they have booked 562 cases of drug consumption, resulting in the arrest of 671 individuals.

The scale of the seizure for the year reflects the magnitude of the problem being tackled: police have seized 320.6 kg of ganja worth ₹88.7 lakh and 1.4 kg of MDMA valued at ₹1.2 crore. Other significant seizures include hydro-weed ganja worth ₹94.7 lakh and cocaine worth ₹1.9 lakh, among others.

The Commissioner emphasized a policy of rigorous enforcement: "We ensure that peddlers are caught red-handed so that they cannot later dispute the case or claim innocence."

To counter the rising trend of substance abuse among youth, the Mangaluru City police have rolled out uniform guidelines for random drug testing across educational institutions.

As part of the drive, tests were conducted in approximately 100 institutions, screening an estimated 5,500 to 6,000 students in the first phase. 20 students tested positive for drug consumption during the initial screening.

Students who tested positive have been provided counselling and are scheduled for re-testing in the second quarter. The testing will also be expanded to students not covered in the first phase. In a move to ensure strict implementation, police personnel were deployed in mufti in some institutions. Reiterating a zero-tolerance stance, the Commissioner confirmed that random testing will continue, and colleges have also been instructed to conduct drug tests at the time of admission to deter substance abuse from an early stage.

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