'Cannot disclose names of people having black money abroad'

The government has told the Supreme Court that it cannot disclose the names of people having black money stashed abroad. The government says that that the names cannot be made public as it violates the double taxation avoidance agreement.

The government says that the names can only be shared with concerned agencies. Petitioner and senior lawyer and former BJP leader Ram Jethmalani has accused the Narendra Modi government of trying to protect people with black money.

The apex court has agreed to hear the government's plea on October 28.

Bringing back black money stashed abroad was one of the top poll issues taken up by the BJP during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Earlier on Wednesday, Switzerland had said that it will examine Indian requests for banking information on a priority basis and provide requested details in a time-bound manner. The Swiss authorities would also "assist in obtaining confirmation on genuineness of bank documents on request by the Indian side and also swiftly provide information on requests related to non-banking information".

"The Swiss competent authority will provide the Indian side with the requested information in a time-bound manner or else indicate the reasons why the cases cannot be answered within the agreed timeline," a Swiss-Indian joint statement said after a high-level meeting between the official of the two countries on tax matters.