Taxmen, along with 50K guests, watch big fat Reddy wedding

​Bengaluru/ New Delhi: The big fat wedding of Gali Janardan Reddy's daughter was under the lens of the taxman. While this goes without saying, there would also be a close watch on the guest list as well.

The wedding which has been touted as the wedding of the year due to the lavish settings was under the scanner of the state government as well the taxman.

There are up to 50,000 guests at the Bangalore Palace Grounds, where Bollywood art directors have helped create elaborate sets replicating the Vitthala temple of Hampi and the Cowl Bazaar in Chennai, besides the homes of the bride and the groom

Sources in the Income Tax department say the wedding is being closely monitored and officials have discreetly visited the wedding. "We are interested in quantifying the expenditure in such a big event," said an official.

He said details are also being gathered from Bellary, Janardhan Reddy's hometown. The CBI and other agencies are yet to track down the alleged wealth of Reddy, who is being investigated in several cases of illegal mining.

The extravagance has been attacked especially at a time thousands are struggling for cash to eat after the government's shock move last week to pull Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes out of circulation to tackle tax evasion.

Relatives deny allegations that hundreds of crores have gone into the event. They claim the bill is closer to Rs 30 crore and most of it was paid to event managers long before demonetisation. The guests include top ministers, politicians and celebrities.

Janardhan Reddy was a minister in Yeddyurappa's government. He spent three years in jail for his alleged involvement in a mining scam before he was released on bail last year.

The "big fat wedding" was raised in Parliament on Wednesday as Opposition leaders hit out at the BJP for the note ban.