The Allahabad High Court sternly reprimanded a senior executive of GAIL for secretly recording court proceedings during a tax-related hearing. Justice Shekhar B Sharaf identified the misconduct during the proceedings involving GAIL.
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Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh: On Tuesday(12th March),The Allahabad High Court delivered a severe reprimand to a senior executive of the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) for covertly recording courtroom proceedings.Justice Shekhar B Sharaf, presiding over the case, identified the misconduct during a tax-related hearing involving GAIL.
“While the matter was being heard, it has come to the notice of this Court that an employee of GAIL was recording the entire proceedings of the Court in a surreptitious manner by his mobile phone. The manner in which the gentleman, a senior executive of M/s GAIL India Limited, was recording the proceedings, without having taken prior permission from the Court, is not at all acceptable and the practice is deprecated, to say the least,”
-Justice Sharaf remarked in the March 12 order.
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Due to the severity of the situation, Justice Sharaf took decisive action, declaring:
“Considering the circumstances, I am disinclined to pursue this case and five others related to the same petitioner (STRE Nos.45 of 2024, 46 of 2024, 47 of 2024, 48 of 2024, and 49 of 2024), and they are discharged.”
Furthermore, Justice Sharaf directed that the implicated cases be reassigned.
“The judge ordered that these matters be placed before the Chief Justice of the High Court for appropriate orders,”
-ensuring that the cases would be reviewed afresh by a different bench.
Representing GAIL in this complex scenario were advocates Kartikeya Narain and Nishant Mishra, who found themselves in a challenging position as they navigated the legal and ethical implications of their client’s actions.
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BACKGROUND OF THE CASE
This dispute between GAIL India Limited, a prominent public sector natural gas company, and the tax authorities concerning tax assessments, levies, or compliance issues. It likely pertains to disagreements on tax calculations, the application of tax laws, or other tax-related matters. GAIL India Ltd is challenging the decisions made by the Commissioner of Commercial Taxes, seeking judicial review or appeal to address perceived erroneous tax claims or clarify tax regulations.