'Weaponising Private Financial Info...': Tax Data Leak Sparks Uproar, As BJP MP Nishikant Dubey Shares Journalist's ITR Details

New Delhi: A big controversy has started after BJP MP Dr. Nishikant Dubey shared a post on social media. In the tweet, Dubey hinted that journalist Abhisar Sharma started earning more money after leaving his job and speaking out against Prime Minister Modi and the BJP. Dubey didn’t mention Abhisar’s name, but gave clear hints that made it easy to guess who he was talking about.

Legal Questions and Public Anger

The post has raised serious legal and ethical concerns, especially under Section 138 of the Income Tax Act, which guarantees confidentiality of tax records, and the Official Secrets Act, which prohibits sharing classified government information.

Police Case Against Income Tax Department

In response to this breach, a strong statement was made by a Abhisar Sharma who said:

"I am also filing a police case against @IncomeTaxIndia because leaking someone's income tax returns by coward @nishikant_dubey can’t happen without someone from the department. This is a violation of the Official Secrets Act. This is embarrassing for the government."

The allegation implies that someone within the Income Tax Department illegally passed sensitive data to the MP for political weaponisation.

Support for Journalist Abhisar Sharma

Social media has seen a wave of support for Abhisar Sharma, with people calling the act an attack on privacy and journalistic freedom. Critics say leaking private financial data to target a government critic is not just unethical, but criminal.

One law for the common people, and a different one for journalists? If a journalist uses abusive language like 'maa-behen ki gaali' every day, it's considered their right. But if you do wrong in the name of journalism, then getting called out is only fair.

Published on: Thursday, August 28, 2025, 02:57 PM IST