Assam: Two former Chief Ministers provided fake PAN details to ECI- Reports

TNT Desk | October 6, 2018

GUWAHATI: In what may be termed as a shocking revelation, an investigative website named Cobrapost on Thursday has claimed that 194 Indian legislators, including six former chief ministers and 10 sitting ministers, across the country submitted fake Permanent Account Number, or PAN details to the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Among the politicians named by the website were two former Chief Ministers of Assam, viz, Tarun Gogoi and Bhumidhar Barman.

The investigation came almost a year after the Central Board of Direct Taxes told the Supreme Court that it was conducting inquiries into a significant increase in the assets of seven Lok Sabha MPs and 98 state legislators across the country and check if there were any discrepancies.

According to the affidavit filed with the ECI during 2006 Assembly Elections, Gogoi had a PAN with number ACOPG06834, which did not exist. In the next elections held in 2011, he stated a different PAN number ACOPG0683M.

Similarly, Barman had entered ACBPD0559N for his PAN while declaring his assets in 2006 Assembly Elections which was found to be non-existing.

With inputs from Guwahati Plus