Mabrook Shah Rukh: Authority revokes benami attachment order against King Khan

Agencies
January 29, 2019

New Delhi, Jan 29: Actor Shah Rukh Khan has been absolved of the charge of being a beneficiary of a benami property in the scenic beach town of Alibaug in Maharashtra as an appellate Authority under the law has "revoked" the attachment order of the I-T Department, calling it baseless and coloured.

The Adjudicating Authority (AA) slammed the income tax department authority for issuing the order against Khan and a company-- in which he, his wife Gauri Khan and in-laws are shareholders-- in February last year, saying a "commerical transaction entered into course of business by an independent entity cannot be coloured as benami transaction because it had sourced the funds from loans."

A division bench of the AA comprising D Singhai (Chairperson) and Member (Law) Tushar V Shah exonerated Khan and said: "We have come to the conclusion that the named properties, ie, agriculture land at village Thal, Taluka Alibaug bearing survey nos 188/A, 188/1B, 188/2, 188/3, 188/4, 187/1 and structure thereon are not a benami property and hence the attachment made thereof by the investigating officer is revoked hereby."

The tax department had attached the farm house and plot, built on an agricultural land, in Alibaug, worth about Rs 15 crore, and had called the company-Ms Deja Vu Farms Pvt Ltd- a benamidar (in whose name benami property is standing) and the 53-year-old actor a beneficiary (who pays money consideration) of a benami deal booked under the Prohibition of Benami Property Transaction Act.

The 1988 enacted law was implemented by the Modi government from November, 2016 with a strong impetus, saying it was aimed to crack down against black money and stash holders.

The AA bench, in the order accessed by PTI, also rapped the probe officer of the I-T Department in Mumbai for seemingly relying on "some press report/online articles" that Khan acquired the property for his benefit, which it said was "incorrect and impermissible in law."

"There is no basis to conclude that the property acquired by Deja Vu Farms Pvt Ltd is held for immediate or future benefit, direct or indirect of Shah Rukh Khan," the January, 23 issued order said.

The Authority rejected the I-T Department's allegation that the entire transaction of purchasing the land parcels in Alibaug and construction of a luxury farm house on it was done on the "desire and instruction"of Khan and from "unsecured loans" of about Rs 14.67 crore provided by him to the firm.

The I-T had also charged that as Khan was "not an agriculturist, he sought to purchase the land by forming Ms Deja Vu Farms Pvt Ltd, a front entity and giving it colour of company engaged in agriculture."

The department had also said in its order that a person Moreshwar Rajaram Ajgaonkar was a "front" of Khan as the the actor used the former's credentials of being an agriculturist to purchase the land by making a representation under the said category before the Additional Collector of Raigad, the district under which Alibaug falls.

It had also charged that the company was incorporated "on the instructions" of Khan as he was interested in purchasing a property in Alibaug for construction of a farm house.

The taxman had said in its complaint that the objective of the firm (Deja Vu) was stated to undertake agricultural activity on the land and the Raigad district state government gave permission to purchase the land with a "condition" that it will be put to use within 3 years for the purposes of farming.

The AA also found as "justified" the contention of Khan and his company that a private firm can borrow funds even from its shareholders and that there has been no concealment of the loan given by the actor which has been "disclosed" by the former in its annual returns for the last several years.

The Authority said that it was "beyond doubt" that the Alibaug property was acquired and held by the company in its own right and independent of any other person.

"There is nothing to raise the inference or presumption in law that the property owned by a company can be said to be held for the benefit of its shareholder," the Authority ruled, absolving Khan of the criminal charges under the stringent law.

As per the anti-benami law, once proven, a benamidar (in whose name benami property is standing) and beneficiary (who pay money consideration) are prosecutable and may face rigorous imprisonment up to 7 years besides being liable to pay fine up to 25 per cent of fair market value of benami property.

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News Network
November 22,2025

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The Israeli regime’s forces have killed two Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip every day since the ceasefire began in early October, UNICEF has warned.

The UN children’s agency said on Friday that Israeli forces continue to attack Palestinians in Gaza even though the agreement was meant to stop the killing.

“Since 11 October, while the ceasefire has been in effect, at least 67 children have been killed in conflict-related incidents in the Gaza Strip. Dozens more have been injured. That is an average of almost two children killed every day since the ceasefire took effect,” UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires said in Geneva, reminding that each number in the statistics represents a child whose life had ended violently.

“These are not statistics,” he said. “Each child had a story, a family, and a future that was stolen from them.”

Data from Palestinian factions, human rights groups, and government bodies recorded since the US-brokered ceasefire deal went into effect on October 10 show that Israeli forces have carried out numerous attacks, each constituting a separate ceasefire violation.

UNICEF teams say they repeatedly continue to witness heart-wrenching scenes of fearful Palestinian children sleeping outdoors with amputated limbs, while others live as orphans in flooded, makeshift shelters.

“I saw this myself in August. There is no safe place for them. The world cannot normalize their suffering,” Pires said, lamenting that the UN could “do a lot more if the aid that is really needed was entering faster.”

The UNICEF spokesperson warned that with the advent of winter, the risks for hundreds of thousands of displaced children will increase.

He warned, “The stakes are incredibly high” for children as winter acts as a threat multiplier, where children have no heating, no insulation, and few blankets. He said respiratory infections rise.

“Too many children have already paid the highest price,” Pires said. “Too many are still paying it, even under a ceasefire. The world promised them it would stop and that we would protect them.”

“Now we must act like it,” the UNICEF spokesperson added.

Since the Israeli regime launched its genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza in October 2023, it has killed nearly 70,000 people in the territory, most of them women and children, and injured over 170,000 more, while reducing most of the structures in the enclave to rubble.

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Agencies
November 22,2025

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New York/Washington: US President Donald Trump has again claimed to have solved the conflict between India and Pakistan, repeating his assertion during a meeting with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office.

Mamdani flew to Washington DC for his first meeting with Trump in the White House on Friday. Trump said he “enjoyed” the meeting, which he described as “great.”

During remarks in the Oval Office, with Mamdani standing next to him, Trump repeated his claim that he solved the May conflict between India and Pakistan.

"I did eight peace deals of countries, including India and Pakistan,” he said.

On Wednesday, Trump had said he threatened to put 350 per cent tariffs on India and Pakistan if they did not end their conflict, repeating his claim that he solved the fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called him to say “we're not going to go to war.”

Since May 10, when Trump announced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire after a “long night” of talks mediated by Washington, he has repeated his claim over 60 times that he “helped settle” the tensions between India and Pakistan.

India has consistently denied any third-party intervention. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians. India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes.

Mamdani emerged victorious in the closely-watched battle for New York City Mayor, becoming the first South Asian and Muslim to be elected to sit at the helm of the largest city in the US.

He had been the front-runner in the NYC Mayoral election for months and defeated Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and political heavyweight former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent candidate and was officially endorsed by Trump just hours before the elections.

Indian-descent Mamdani is the son of renowned filmmaker Mira Nair and Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani. He was born and raised in Kampala, Uganda and moved to New York City with his family when he was 7. Mamdani became a naturalised US citizen only recently, in 2018.

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News Network
December 2,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 2: Mangaluru International Airport responded to a medical emergency late on Monday night. Air India Express flight IX 522, travelling from Riyadh to Thiruvananthapuram, was diverted to Mangaluru Airport after a passenger in his late 30s experienced a medical emergency on board.

The Airport’s Operations Control Centre received an alert regarding the passenger’s health condition. The airport activated its emergency response protocol, mobilising the airport medical team and coordinating with stakeholders including CISF, immigration, and customs. 

Upon landing, airport medical personnel attended to the passenger, assessed his condition, and arranged to shift him to a local tertiary-care hospital for further treatment. The passenger’s relatives accompanied the passenger, who incidentally received necessary medical care on board, which helped stabilise the situation.

Following the handling of the emergency, the flight departed for Thiruvananthapuram at 2:05 am on Tuesday.

"We appreciate the cooperation of all parties involved, and this incident reaffirms our ongoing commitment to prioritising passenger safety and readiness to respond to unforeseen emergencies with professionalism and care," the Airport spokesperson said. 

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