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DATE: April 15, 2015 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: May 1, 2015 (Date of publication)
AY: -
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CITATION:
ITAT’s practice of routinely consolidating appeals is “most unfortunate, disturbing and dangerous” and leads to “pile-up” of cases. Such “elementary mistakes” should not be committed in future. ITAT is expected not to sign judgments and decisions unless they are checked thoroughly after transcription. It may be a boring task but it has to be performed by none other than the decision makers

The factual situation the backdrop of which this question is raised to be most unfortunate, disturbing and dangerous to say the least. The Tribunal as a matter of routine goes on consolidating appeals …. We think that our observations made above are enough to guide the Tribunal and we hope that such mistakes and elementary in nature are not committed in future. We also expect the Tribunal not to sign judgments and decisions unless their checked thoroughly by them after their transcription. It may be a boring task but it has to be performed by none other than the decision makers

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DATE: April 22, 2015 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 29, 2015 (Date of publication)
AY: -
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CITATION:
ITAT Members should maintain patience. Sobriety and restraint in judicial conduct is of paramount importance. They should refrain from passing any adverse remarks or making harsh comments on the conduct of the parties

Repeatedly, the Hon’ble Supreme Court cautioned the Presiding Officer of the Courts and Tribunals from adversely commenting and remarking on the conduct of parties or their representatives or pleaders. If these comments and remarks, adversely affecting them are not required for the decision of a case and it could be justly and fairly reached on the basis of material produced and the arguments canvassed, then, the Courts and Tribunals should refrain from passing any adverse remarks or making harsh comments on the conduct of the parties. Sobriety and restraint in judicial conduct is of paramount importance. Even if the Presiding Officer, members of the Tribunal are agitated by prolong arguments and often needless, still they must not lose patience and to a extent as to comment upon the conduct of the Advocates or representatives. That must been avoided as it would be a reflection on the working of the Tribunal as a whole

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DATE: December 3, 2014 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 25, 2015 (Date of publication)
AY: 2002-03
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CITATION:
S. 271(1)(c): Immunity against penalty under Expl 5 is available even in return is not filed provided a statement is made during the search, explaining the manner of deriving the income and due tax & interest thereon is paid

In order to get the benefit of immunity under clause(2) of explanation5 to Section 271(1)(c) of the Income Tax Act, it is not necessary to file the return before the due date provided that the assessee had made a statement, during the search and explained the manner in which the surrendered amount was derived, and paid tax as well as interest on the surrendered amount

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DATE: April 24, 2015 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 25, 2015 (Date of publication)
AY: 1996-97
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CITATION:
S. 255(4): Even if Third Member's verdict is shown to be “unsustainable in law and in complete disregard to binding judicial precedents”, Division Bench has no choice but to give effect to it

At the time of giving effect to the majority view under section 255(4), it cannot normally be open to the Tribunal to go beyond the exercise of giving effect to the majority views, howsoever mechanical it may seem. In the case of dissenting situations on the division bench, the process of judicial adjudication is complete when the third member, nominated by Hon’ble President, resolves the impasse by expressing his views and thus enabling a majority view on the point or points of difference. What then remains for the division bench is simply identifying the majority view and dispose of the appeal on the basis of the majority views. In the course of this exercise, it is not open to the division bench to revisit the adjudication process and start examining the legal issues

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DATE: April 8, 2015 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 24, 2015 (Date of publication)
AY: 2007-08
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CITATION:
S. 254(2)/ 260A: Pendency of an appeal filed in the High Court u/s 260A is no bar to the maintainability of a MA filed u/s 254(2)

Merely because the assessee has challenged the order of the Tribunal in an Appeal under section 260A of the Income Tax Act, 1961 before the High Court does not mean that the power under section (2) of section 254 cannot be invoked either by the assessee or by the revenue/Assessing Officer. Such a power enables the Tribunal to rectify any mistake apparent from the record and make amendments. That in a given case would not only save precious judicial time of the Tribunal but even of the higher Court

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DATE: April 8, 2015 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 24, 2015 (Date of publication)
AY: 2009-10
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CITATION:
S. 271(1)(c): Surrender of income after questionnaire does not mean it is not voluntary. If surrender is on condition of no penalty and assessment is based only on surrender and not on evidence, penalty cannot be levied

At the time of surrender itself contention of not initiating any penalty proceedings was there. No additional matter was discovered to prove that there was concealment of income. The AO has included the amount of share capital in the total income of assessee merely on the basis of assessee’s declaration/surrender. The AO did not point out or refer any evidence or material to show that the amount of share capital received by the assessee was bogus. It is also not the case of the revenue that material was found at the assessee’s premises to indicate that share application money received was an arranged affair to accommodate assessee’s unaccounted money. Thus there was no detection by the AO that share capital was not genuine. The surrender of share capital after issue of the notice u/s.143(2) could not lead to any inference that it was not voluntary.

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DATE: March 5, 2015 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 24, 2015 (Date of publication)
AY: 2010-11
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CITATION:
Bogus purchases: Fact that suppliers names appear in the list of hawala dealers of the sales-tax dept and that assessee is unable to produce them does not mean that the purchases are bogus if the payment is through banking channels & GP ratio becomes abnormally high

If the addition made by the A.O. is accepted, then G.P. Ratio of the appellant during the present A.Y.will become abnormally high and therefore that is not acceptable because it onus of the A.O. by bringing adequate material on record to prove that such a high G.P. ratio exists in the nature of business carried out by the appellant. Further, it has to be appreciated that (i)Payments were through banking channel and by Cheque, (ii) Notices coming back, does not mean, those Parties are bogus, they are just denying their business to avoid sales tax/VAT etc, (iii) Statement by third parties cannot be concluded adversely in isolation and without corroborating evidences against appellant ,(iv) No cross examination has been offered by AO to the appellant to cross examine the relevant parties (who are deemed to be witness or approver being used by AO against the appellant) whose name appear in the website www.mahavat.gov.in and (v) Failure to produce parties cannot be treated adversely against appellant

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DATE: April 10, 2015 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 24, 2015 (Date of publication)
AY: 2009-10
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CITATION:
Additions made solely on the basis of AIR information are not sustainable in the eyes of law if the Revenue has not made any enquires to find out whether the AIR information was correct or not

It has been held time and again by this Tribunal that the additions made solely on the basis of AIR information are not sustainable in the eyes of law. If the assessee denies that it is in receipt of income from a particular source, it is for the AO to prove that the assessee has received income as the assessee cannot prove the negative

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DATE: April 10, 2015 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 24, 2015 (Date of publication)
AY: 2009-10
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CITATION:
S.12AA(3): The issue of withdrawal of s. 11 exemption in the light of s. 2(15) amendment is contentious and requires decision by larger Bench of the ITAT

No doubt, the assessee has relied on one decision by the hon’ble high court [CIT v. Sarvyodaya Ilakkiya Pannai [2012] 343 ITR 300 (Mad)], but then the said decision stands also considered by the tribunal in the case of Entertainment Society of Goa v. CIT [2013] 23 ITR (Trib) 636 (Panaji), relied upon by the Revenue, holding, with reference to decision by the hon’ble jurisdictional high court in CIT v. Thane Electricity Supply Ltd [1994] 206 ITR 727 (Bom), the decision by the non-jurisdictional high court as not binding. The rule of precedence, in case of conflicting views by the high courts, none of which is jurisdictional, is for the tribunal to follow that which appeals to its conscious. The appropriate course under the circumstances, even as indicated during the hearing in the instant proceedings – to no objection by either party, is that the matter be referred to the hon’ble President of the Tribunal for constituting a larger bench of the tribunal to decide the highly contentious issue raised by the assessee’s Ground No.1, decided differently by different coordinate benches of this tribunal, for uniform application across the tribunal

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DATE: April 27, 2015 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: April 15, 2015 (Date of publication)
AY: 2005-06
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CITATION:
S. 275(1)(a): For penalty proceedings initiated on issues unrelated to assessment of income (such as for s. 269SS/ 269T & TDS defaults), time limit runs from date of initiation of penalty proceedings and not from date of CIT(A)'s order

Since penalty proceedings for default in not having transactions through the bank as required under sections 269SS and 269T are not related to the assessment proceeding but are independent of it, therefore, the completion of appellate proceedings arising out of the assessment proceedings or the other proceedings during which the penalty proceedings under sections 271D and 271E may have been initiated has no relevance for sustaining or not sustaining the penalty proceedings and, therefore, clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 275 cannot be attracted to such proceedings

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