Union Budget 2024-25 (Full) + FINANCE (No.2) Bill, 2024

As per section 53(2) of the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act (PBPT) Act, 1988, the offence of benami transaction is punishable with a penalty of rigorous imprisonment for minimum one year to maximum seven years along with fine extending to 25% of the fair market value of the benami property. This penalty is the same for a benamidar or a beneficial owner or any person who abets or induces any person to enter into a benami transaction. Due to same quantum of penalty & prosecution as is imposable in the case of beneficial owner and abettor, benamidars do not come forward to give evidence against the beneficial owner.

2. Further, many benamidars being of poor means and illiterate, imposing on them the same penalty as the beneficial owner of such a benami transaction could be disproportionate in nature. Alternatively, if such benamidars were to become approvers, it would help in gathering clinching evidence and details about benami properties and result in convictions of the beneficial owners, thus strengthening the regime.

3. Furthermore, various other laws of the land provided for a tender of pardon/immunity from prosecution/ reduced penalty in cases where the witness assists in the due process of law.

4. It is thus proposed to insert a new section 55A in the PBPT Act, 1988, to provide that the Initiating Officer may, with a view to obtaining the evidence of the benamidar or any other person as referred to in section 53, other than the beneficial owner, tender to such person immunity from penalty for any offence under section 53, with the previous sanction of the competent authority as referred to in section 55, on condition of his making a full and true disclosure of the whole circumstances relating to the benami transaction. A tender of immunity made to, and accepted by, the person concerned, shall, to the extent to which the immunity extends, render him immune from prosecution for any offence in respect of which the tender was made and from the imposition of any penalty under section 53 of the Act.

5. Further, it is also proposed to provide that if it appears to the Initiating Officer that any person to whom immunity has been tendered under this section has not complied with the condition on which the tender was made or is wilfully concealing anything or is giving false evidence, the Initiating Officer may record a finding to that effect, and thereupon, with the previous sanction of the competent authority as referred to in section 55, the immunity shall be deemed to have been withdrawn, and any such person may be tried for the offence in respect of which the tender of immunity was made or for any other offence of which he appears to have been guilty in connection with the same matter and shall also become liable to the imposition of any penalty under this Act to which he would have otherwise been liable.

6. This amendment will take effect from the 1st day of October, 2024.

[Clause 154]

In case of divergence of interpretation, the English text shall prevail.

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Full Text:

Union Budget 2024-25 (Full) + FINANCE (No.2) Bill, 2024

Immunity for benamidars: conditional immunity offered to encourage full disclosure, withdrawable for falsehood or concealment. Insertion of Section 55A permits the Initiating Officer, with previous sanction of the competent authority, to tender conditional immunity from penalty under section 53 to non-beneficial-owner persons involved in benami transactions in exchange for a full and true disclosure; accepted immunity renders them immune from prosecution and penalty to the extent tendered, but the Initiating Officer may record non compliance or falsehood and, with sanction, withdraw immunity, enabling prosecution and imposition of penalties for the offence or related offences.