Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal has been slapped with a fresh notice by the Income Tax department, asking him to pay dues of Rs 9.50 lakh by October 27. The notice says his resignation from the service will be accepted only if the dues are cleared.

Kejriwal, currently campaigning for the Jan Lokpla bill in Uttar Pradesh, was issued a notice on August 5, just days before activist Anna Hazare went on a fast.

Sources said a fresh notice has been issued to Kejriwal, who, the department claimed, had violated bond clauses under which he went on study leave for two years and asked him to deposit the money. Sources said that the I-T department had sought opinion from the department of personnel and training and the law ministry. But DoPT ruled that no exception could be made and dues must be cleared before Kejriwal's application for voluntary retirement could be accepted.

Kejriwal said he would reply appropriately.

The dues had accumulated over the alleged violation of bond clauses under which Kejriwal, an Indian Revenue Service officer, had gone abroad on study leave for two years between November 2000 and 2002. When the department wrote to him in 2007 and 2008 for clearance of his dues, Kejriwal had responded that they may be waived.

Kejriwal and other Hazare team members attacked the notice, terming it as an action of the government's "dirty tricks department" under instructions from political bosses. Kejriwal claimed that he did not "violate" any bond provisions and had resigned from the job after the stipulated three years of rejoining duty following his study leave. (Times of India)