Stamp duty: UP government notice to Amitabh

In fresh trouble for superstar Amitabh Bachchan, the district authorities in Barabanki on Monday issued a notice to him accusing him of undervaluing the stamp duty on a plot of land he bought here.

Additional District Magistrate (Finance) of Barabanki Shirish Dubey issued the notice to Bachchan through his local lawyer Pradeep Roy and fixed May 5 for a reply.

Dubey issued the notice accusing Bachchan of violating relevant sections of the Indian Stamp Duty Act on the basis of a report filed to him by Tehsildar of Barabanki Anil Kumar.

The ADM (Finance) said the cost of the land was Rs 843,639 but it was shown as Rs 6,000 less and accordingly the actor paid Rs 695 less in stamp duty.

Roy, the actor's lawyer, dismissed the charge of paying less stamp duty as "baseless" and alleged it was an attempt to malign Bachchan's image. A defamation suit would be filed, he added.

Roy said it was the responsibility of the district administration to assess the stamp duty and they should have checked at the time of payment.

The plot was purchased by the actor during the rule of Mulayam Singh Yadav in UP and on January 27, 2008, he laid the foundation stone of a girls' college there naming it after his daughter-in-law and Bollywood hearthrob Aishwarya Rai.