Black money: Centre submits 627 names, SC says only SIT can open envelope

The Centre on Wednesday submitted a list of black money account holders to the Supreme Court in three sets of documents which includes 627 names and a status report of their investigation in these cases.

Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi submitted documents that include all the account holders' names, details of overseas accounts and the status of investigation in these cases.

Representational image. AFP

"We gave 627 names in a sealed cover to the court along with a status report. Last date for assessment for all these accounts is 31 March 2015. The court after hearing both sides, did not open the cover but directed that the sealed envelope be given to the SIT itself. The SIT will thereafter see what it has to do and proceed in accordance with law", Rohatgai told media outside the court.

The reason that action has to be taken by 31 March 2015 is because the account details in the possession of the government are as of 2006. The statute of limitations will come into effect post March 2015.

This same list had been submitted to the SIT in June earlier this year, the AG added. The apex court has asked SIT to verify the list given by the government and carry on with probe. It has however, sought a report by November end.

Rohatagi refused to divulge any names but added that at least half of them were from India while the remaining where non-resident Indians.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had on Tuesday said it would be up to the judges to decide whether to make the names public. "There is nobody that the government wants to protect," he said.

The government had told that the court on Monday that it could not disclose the names to the apex court even in the proceedings under the constitution's article 32 under which the apex court could be moved for upholding fundamental rights.

Even as the government has submitted a list of 627 black money account holders, the names in the list are entries till 2006 only. The Supreme Court has said that the Special Investigation Team will continue to probe foreign bank account holders' list and has set March 2015 as deadline.

Any information post 2006 can only be obtained if the account holders give a non-objection certificate to foreign banks.

Meanwhile, Headlines Today reported that the apex court has asked SIT to submit its status report on the investigation into the black money case by November 2014.