Jagmohan Dalmiya: a match that refuses to endCalcutta: The 1996 Wills World Cup cricket championship is long over, but the other match - Jagmohan Dalmiya versus the Income-Tax (IT) Department - ended only last week.It began with the IT Department slapping PILCOM (Pakistan-India-Lanka Committee), the agency formed to organise the tournament, with a notice to clear its TDS (tax-deduction at source) arrears amounting to Rs 3 crore.Controversy has dogged Dalmiya's handling of PILCOM's finances right from the beginning. PILCOM wound up a fortnight after the tournament concluded, and when IT and the Enforcement Directorate questioned its finances, Dalmiya said the books were in Pakistan since the treasurer was the Pakistan Cricket Board's secretary. He appealed to Calcutta High Court against IT's claim for TDS dues, arguing that since PILCOM was part of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, it couldn't be charged separately. IT contested the plea, pointing out that PILCOM'S composition was pan-south Asian. Finally, the high court referred the matter to the IT's appellate tribunal, which recently passed an order in the department's favour. But the question remains: With PILCOM having folded up, who will pay up? Dalmiya may open his second innings against the IT with that bouncer.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Feb 9, 1998--- ENDS ---
