Former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai on Wednesday said that income tax officers being able to access a taxpayer's social media account and email starting next financial year is an “assault on our rights”.
Pai urged the government to provide taxpayers a safety net to prevent misuse. He also suggested to challenge the measure.
“Your email and social media account can be accessed by income tax officers starting next financial year in these cases. This is an assault on our rights! Govt should provide safeguards against misuse, get a court order before this,” Pai said in a post on X.
According to a report by The Economic Times, the income tax department will essentially have the legal authority to gain access to taxpayers' social media accounts, emails, bank accounts, trading accounts and more.
The new income tax rule may come into effect from April 1, 2026, according to the newspaper. Tax officials will be able to access your accounts if they suspect you have evaded income tax or you own any undisclosed income, money, gold, jewelry, or valuable item or property that you have not declared.
Under the existing Income Tax Act 1961, authorised personnel are permitted to break into your house, locker or office to find if you have any undisclosed asset.
This rule is going to be extended to the digital realm, the ET report noted citing the New Income Tax Bill that was recently tabled at the Parliament.
According to clause 247 of the Income Tax Bill, an authorised officer can “break open the lock of any door, box, locker, safe, almirah, or other receptacle for exercising the powers conferred by clause (i), to enter and search any building, place, etc., where the keys thereof or the access to such building, place, etc., is not available, or gain access by overriding the access code to any said computer system, or virtual digital space, where the access code thereof is not available” provided they have reason to raise suspicion, the newspaper said.
This can potentially mean that officers can legally gain access to your personal emails, trading and bank accounts and social media accounts.
(By arrangement with livemint.com)
