Madras High Court has posted the appeal for further hearing to October 22. (File)
The Madras High Court today restrained the Income Tax (IT) department till October 22 from proceeding on the re-assessment of former Union minister Dayanidhi Maran's income, based on the CBI chargesheet in the Aircel-Maxis deal case.
A division bench of justices G Huluvadi Ramesh and K Kalyana Sundaram gave the direction when an appeal filed by Mr Maran, challenging the October 10 order of a single judge dismissing his petition filed against the IT action, came up for hearing.
It then posted the appeal for further hearing to October 22.
Justice SM Subramaniam had said the petitioner, who held the high position of a Union minister, was duty bound to respond to the department's notice to prove his innocence or otherwise.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has charged Mr Maran with forcing Aircel owner C Sivasankaran into parting with his stake in the company in favour of Malaysia's Maxis Communications Berhad when he was the telecom minister.
Mr Maran had pointed to his discharge in the case by a CBI court in New Delhi on February 2 last year in support of his plea for quashing the IT notice.
Dismissing his plea, the judge had said the petition was filed at the notice stage itself, which would hamper all further proceedings of the IT department and it could never be encouraged by the court.