A day after receiving a harsh rap from the Supreme Court for not disclosing all the names of black money holders, the Centre on Wednesday submitted a list of more than 600 names on the court's orders.
The list is said to have the names of 627 Indians with accounts in HSBC, Geneva.
Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi submitted three sets of documents to the court, as per reports.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the NDA government to disclose the entire list of names of black money holders by Wednesday, a day after the Centre submitted only eight names in an affidavit, none of which were said to be significant.
The court asked the Centre why it was using a "protective umbrella" to shield the illicit account holders. Finance minister Arun Jaitley, however, denied that the government was trying to shield individuals.
"The government has already given the list to the court-constituted SIT," Jaitley told the media on Tuesday.
"There are 600 odd names in the list -- we will give the list in a sealed cover and I'm sure the court will take appropriate steps to maintain their confidentiality," Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told NDTV.
Those named in the first list submitted on Monday were Dabur group director Pradip Burman, bullion trader Pankaj Lodhiya, Goa-based Timblo Pvt Ltd director Radha Timblo and four of her family members, who are also directors in the company. They are all under investigation for stashing black money abroad.
Four individuals from the Indian National Congress, including a former minister in the UPA government, are under scrutiny for holding illicit bank accounts in Switzerland, and could be named in the list.
According to reports, authorities are said to have another list with names of 612 Indians who hold accounts in countries that offer tax havens. This list, derived from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), also includes the names of UB Group's Vijay Mallya and Essar Group's Ravikant Ruia, according to The Times of India, though it does not suggest that they hold illicit accounts.
