The retired Supreme Court judge Yashwant Vishnu Chandrachud may have
found Indian cricketers `clean', but it may not be so in Vishwa
Bandhu Gupta's diary. The Additional Commissioner of Income-Tax in
New Delhi, Vishwa Bandhu Gupta is planning to write to the Board of
Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to conduct enquiries on all
cricketers who have played for India over the last ten years to state
whether they have disclosed income under the VDIS (Voluntary
Disclosure of Income Scheme).
``I have pride and interest for the country at my heart'' said the
49-year-old additional I-T commissioner who is not due for retirement
until 2010. Speaking to this correspondent over telephone from his
Delhi residence on Tuesday, Gupta revealed, ``several people including
recent cricketers have declared unaccounted wealth under VDIS. A
recent India captain had declared a sum of Rs. 16 crore under this
scheme.''
The VDIS scheme was introduced on July 1, 1997 by the then finance
minister P. Chidambaram and it lasted for about six months. According
to Gupta, the VDIS scheme was formulated with few in-built
loopholes. ``Not only cricketers, but many industrialists and people
having contacts in foreign countries have taken the benefits of the
scheme.'' Though it was announced that 30% would be deducted from the
declared unaccounted wealth and no questions would be asked about the
source of the income, Gupta concedes people have the right to know the
names of people who have declared huge sums in the scheme.
``The confidentiality clause doesn't hold when the money is earned
through criminal means,'' according to Gupa. The money, if declared by
smugglers, persons having criminal background, cheaters or narcotics
etc. are not acceptable under VDIS. If a cricketer is found involved
in match-fixing, he can be investigated for cheating.
Gupta is not happy with the way Manoj Prabhakar's issue was
handled. ``Match-fixing is a big game and I am not satisfied with the
findings,'' he said.
Former BCCI president NKP Salve, who is India's nominee on the
ICC's commission on match-fixing, said from his Delhi residence:
``The cricketers found guilty on such matters may not be prosecuted
under the income-tax laws, but can certainly be taken to task under
criminal laws.''