According to Central Board of Direct Taxes, mega superstar Amitabh Bachchan has not been issued any notice by tax authorities to recover dues from him when he was hospitalised in Mumbai.

“No letter was sent to him after he was hospitalisd demanding payment of tax,” the CBDT said in a statement in New Delhi on Monday, adding that “notices and letters to Bachchan were issued on November 17, 2005 and November 25, 2005, requesting the payments of the amounts. It is understood that Bachchan was hospitalised on November 28, 2005.”

The letters were sent to Bachchan’s residential address through speed post only. The tax arrears pertain to assessment years 2001-02 and 2002-03.

In 2001-02, after giving effect to the order of the ITAT and credit for payments already made, the demand was reduced to Rs 2.80 crore.

For 2002-03, against a total demand of Rs 18.15 crore, which is disputed before the CIT (Appeals), the demand was recalculated at Rs. 4.12 crore, the CBDT said.

It is also to be pointed out that proceedings for recovery had commenced in accordance with the law in August 2005 and Bachchan had over three months to make the payments in accordance with the demands for tax.

Bachchan had reportedly said that he was in the ICU and actually wrote out cheques (to the Income Tax department) from there.

Meanwhile, Congress on Monday sought to deflect Bachchan’s reported statement that orders had “come from Delhi” for taxmen to demand Rs five crore from him when he was recently hospitalised, saying Delhi housed the Finance Ministry also.

“The Finance Ministry is also situated in Delhi. There is nothing astonishing about it,” AICC General Secretary Ambika Soni said when asked to react on Bachchan’s comment.

She, however, said Bachchan was “a citizen of India and being a citizen of a democracy, he has every right to say anything or protest anything if he thinks he has been wronged. He has to raise it at the correct forum.”

Soni also dismissed charges that Bachchan was being “targeted” for his proximity to Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh and said, “if we do something illegal, we have to face the law”.

In an interview to a national daily, Bachchan had said that income tax officials had asked him to cough up Rs five crore in three days to clear his outstanding dues when he was in hospital. He said the taxmen had told him they had orders from Delhi to collect the amount within three days.