New Delhi: The Income Tax department on Friday conducted separate “survey operations” at the premises of online news portals Newsclick and Newslaundry in Delhi, officials said.
The Wire quoted a Newslaundry employee, on Friday, as saying, “Around six to seven persons from the income tax department landed at the office. So far, the raid is only at one office of Newslaundry.”
The officials on their end remark that the operations are being conducted to verify certain tax payment details and remittances made by the organisations. Tax officials are covering the business premises of the two portals, officials added.
Newsclick and its founders were also raided by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in February under provisions of the anti-money laundering law.
The money laundering case arises out of a Delhi Police FIR alleging that PPK Newsclick Studio Pvt Ltd received foreign direct investment (FDI) of Rs 9.59 crore from Worldwide Media Holdings LLC USA during the financial year 2018-19.
“Earlier, around last month, I-T officers had come to Newslaundry office, given us summons and asked us to give them information. We had complied with everything they had wanted and gave them our paperwork and other details, a Newslaundry employee told The Quint on the condition of anonymity.
In February of this year, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had raided the NewsClick office along with the homes of its editors in connection with allegations of money laundering.
Several media groups had then condemned the ED probe, calling it an attempt to silence journalism critical of journalism. The portal had then approached the Delhi High Court, which had granted them interim relief in the ED case.
Earlier in July, the Income Tax department had raided the offices of Dainik Bhaskar.