The Home Ministry has issued a show cause notice to Rujira Naroola, wife of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee and nephew of the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee , for alleged discrepancies in her PAN application. Abhishek is the nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
According to the ministry, Rujira applied for PAN holding OCI card without mentioning that she is a Thai national. She has been asked to reply within 15 days otherwise, her OCI card might get cancelled.
The notice comes barely days after a controversy involving Banerjee’s wife at the Kolkatta airport where she is said to have intimdated customs officials who stopped her for carryiong excess gold than is permissible.
According to the the home ministry notice, “Ms Rujira Naroola, a Thai national, had been issued PIO card No P234979 by Indian Embassy in Bangkok on 8 January, 2010 mentioning Mr Niphon Naroola as father in the card. She applied for conversion of her PIO card into OCI (overseas citizenship of India) card in the office of FRRO, Kolkata and issued the OCI card No. A2B79448 on 8 November, 2017. One of the supporting documents submitted by Ms Rujira Naroola to get her PIO card converted into OCI card was the certificate of her marriage with Abhishek Banerjee which was issued on 13 February, 2013 wherein she mentioned Mr Gursharan Singh Ahujae as her father.”
“The central government has been further informed that on 14 November, 2019 Ms Rujira Naroola applied for PAN card by filing Form 49A without intimating her real status as a Thai national holding OCI card and mentioning Mr Gursharan Singh Ahuja as her father. She was actually required to fill Form 49AA to get a PAN by declaring herself as a foreigner holding an OCI card. On the basis of information given in her application Form 49A, she has obtained the PAN card bearing No. AJNPN2286R under the name Ms Rujira Naroola in the capacity of an Indian citizen,” the notice further claimed.
“The Central Government has examined the matter and noticed the discrepancies mentioned above and is prima facie of the opinion that registration of Ms Rujira Naroola as an OCI card holder is liable for cancellation in the interest of general public Sub Clauses (a) & (e) of Section 7D of the Citizenship Act, 1955,” according to the MHA notice.
“Ms Rujira Naroola, an OCI Cardholder, is hereby called upon to show cause as to why she has made false representation and concealed material facts while submitting documents before the Competent Authorities to get her OCI and PAN cards,” it observed.
–India Legal Bureau
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