Amidst a legal tussle between the Income Tax Department and the Congress party, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the Supreme Court today that no coercive actions will be taken to recover a staggering amount of Rs 3,500 crore until the second week of June. This decision comes in light of the impending Lok Sabha polls, underscoring the sensitive nature of the situation.

The genesis of this legal battle traces back to a petition filed by the Congress in 2018, challenging a Delhi High Court verdict that permitted the Income Tax Department to reassess their income tax for the assessment years 2011-2012. 

Today's proceedings shed light on the dismissal of four additional petitions by the High Court on March 28, which contested the Income Tax reassessment proceedings initiated against the party. These dismissed petitions pertained to the assessment years 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, and 2020-21.

In a subsequent development, the Congress disclosed on March 29 that it had received tax notices amounting to a staggering Rs 1,823 crore for the assessment years 2017-18 and 2020-21 alone. The saga continued as the Income Tax Department issued three more notices to the party, escalating the total tax demand to a monumental Rs 3,567 crore.

The Supreme Court has earmarked July 24 for further deliberation on this contentious issue, which holds significant implications for both the Congress party and the Income Tax Department.