A Gujarat court has denied bail to Mahesh Langa, a journalist with The Hindu, in a high-profile case tied to allegations of tax fraud under India’s Goods and Services Tax (GST) framework.
Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Manish V Chauhan stated that preliminary investigations suggest Langa’s direct involvement, describing him as actively participating in an alleged conspiracy with other co-accused to evade both income tax and GST obligations. Key case details reveal that Langa allegedly conducted financial transactions with a firm named Dhruvi Enterprises, reportedly securing bogus Input Tax Credits (ITCs) worth crores.
Court records further disclose that Langa made his wife, Kavitaben Langa, a partner in a separate entity, ‘DA Enterprise,’ allegedly in a bid to bolster personal financial gains while avoiding tax obligations. The court noted the potential for tampering with evidence as another reason for the bail refusal.
This denial follows Langa’s October 8 arrest by Gujarat’s Detection of Crime Branch (DCB), during which he was charged under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including criminal conspiracy and forgery. Authorities claim the GST fraud scheme involved the creation of over 220 benami firms with forged documentation, allegedly resulting in significant losses to the national exchequer.
Despite initially challenging his remand in the Gujarat High Court, Langa withdrew the petition on October 14, leaving the investigation in full swing as authorities probe deeper into what they describe as a complex web of fake billing and fraudulent transactions.
