Year: 2017

Archive for 2017


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DATE: June 23, 2017 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: June 29, 2017 (Date of publication)
AY: 2009-10
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CITATION:
S. 69C/ 153C: An admission of the assessee which is retracted cannot be the basis of addition. The allegations made by the authorities have to be supported by actual cash passing hands. The addition cannot be sustained in the absence of material which would conclusively show that huge amounts revealed from the seized documents are transferred from one side to another and if the Revenue did not bring on record a single statement of the vendors of the land in different villages and if none of the sellers has been examined to substantiate the claim of the Revenue that extra cash has actually changed hands

After reproducing Section 69C and adverting to the fact that Dilip Dherai has retracted his statement, the Tribunal arrived at the conclusion that merely on the strength of the alleged admission in the statement of Dilip Dherai, the additions could not have been made. The concurrent findings of fact would demonstrate that the essential ingredients of Section 69C of the IT Act enabling the additions were not satisfied. This is not a case of ‘no explanation’. Rather, the Tribunal concluded that the allegations made by the authorities are not supported by actual cash passing hands. The entire decision is based on the seized documents and no material has been referred which would conclusively show that huge amounts revealed from the seized documents are transferred from one side to another. In that regard, the Tribunal found that the Revenue did not bring on record a single statement of the vendors of the land in different villages. None of the sellers has been examined to substantiate the claim of the Revenue that extra cash has actually changed hands

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DATE: January 17, 2017 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: June 29, 2017 (Date of publication)
AY: -
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CITATION:
Strictures passed against Advocate for making frivolous arguments without having the file and wasting the valuable time of the Court. Costs imposed

Shri. M. Selvakumar, learned counsel has made frivolous argument without having the file or and document in his hand. He has wasted the valuable time of the court. He also made a request for adjournment. This as a fit care where the Bench may recommend to Tamilnadu Bar Council to take appropriate action against him. But, by keeping a lenient view in mind, we adjourn the case at the cost of Rs. 1,000/-(Rupees on thousand only) which will deposited by the counsel toward Prime Minister’s Relief Fund within three days from today. On the next date of hearing, proof of deposit shall be submitted

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DATE: June 19, 2017 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: June 27, 2017 (Date of publication)
AY: 2007-08
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CITATION:
S. 147/148: Law on validity of reopening of assessment when the AO is acting on the dictates of the audit party and is not applying his own mind explained

Nevertheless, if we see entire sequence, it becomes clear that the Assessing Officer was clearly acting under the dictates of the audit party. Even after issuing the notice, he still maintained an opinion that no income chargeable to tax had escaped assessment. If that be so, he ought to have dropped the assessment proceedings, at least at that stage when the petitioner raised the objections which even without such objections, the Assessing Officer was convinced, were valid

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DATE: March 30, 2017 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: June 27, 2017 (Date of publication)
AY: 2004-05
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CITATION:
S. 143(2) notice: If the Department fails to produce evidence relating to the issue and service of the s. 143(2) notice, an adverse inference has to be drawn as per s. 114 of the Evidence Act. The s. 143(3) assessment order has to be held invalid and void ab initio

Once this Tribunal has directed the Revenue to produce the record with regard to the assessment so that it can be verified whether notice under section 143(2) of the Act has been issued and served on the assessee before completing the assessment under section 147/148 of the Act, the Revenue was bound to produce the record. But the Revenue could not produce the record and just explained in the Bar that the record has been misplaced. Under these circumstances, we are bound to take an adverse inference in view of the provisions of section 114 of the Evidence Act to the effect that had the assessment record been produced, the same would have gone against the interest of the Revenue

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DATE: June 16, 2017 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: June 22, 2017 (Date of publication)
AY: 2008-09
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CITATION:
S. 14A/ Rule 8D: (i) The computation under clause (f) of Explanation 1 to section 115JB(2) is to be made without resorting to the computation as contemplated u/s 14A read with Rule 8D of the Income tax Rules 1962, (ii) Only those investments are to be considered for computing the average value of investment which yielded exempt income during the year

(i) The computation under clause (f) of Explanation 1 to section 115JB(2) is to be made without resorting to the computation as contemplated u/s 14A read with Rule 8D of the Income tax Rules 1962. (ii) Only those investments are to be considered for computing the average value of investment which yielded exempt income during the year.

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DATE: June 12, 2017 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: June 21, 2017 (Date of publication)
AY: 1995-96
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CITATION:
Capital Gains: While a family arrangement/settlement does not amount to a "transfer" u/s 2(47) as it only recognizes "pre-existing rights" between the parties, the same applies only to members of the families and not to transfers made by corporate entities. The corporate veil can never be lifted at the instance of the company itself because that would amount to its denying its own corporate existence. The fact that the Company is wholly owned by the members of the family is irrelevant

There is no dispute before us that a family arrangement/settlement would not amount to a transfer. So far as the members of Mohota family are concerned, who are parties to the family settlement, any transfer inter se between them on account of family settlement would not result in a transfer so as to attract the provisions of the Capital gain tax under the Act. However, in the present case, we are not concerned with the members of Mohota family who were parties to the family settlement, but with transfer of share done by the Company incorporated under the Companies Act having separate/independent corporate existence, perpetual succession and common seal. This Company is independent and distinct from it’s members

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DATE: June 7, 2017 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: June 21, 2017 (Date of publication)
AY: -
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S. 92C +/- 5%: The contention that there is an error because mere mathematical calculation shows that the arm's length purchase price as worked out by the TPO falls beyond (+)/(-) 5% range and consequently falls outside the scope of the second proviso to s. 92C(2) cannot be considered if it was not raised before the CIT(A) & ITAT

Whether on the facts and circumstances of the case and in law, the ITAT is correct in directing the Assessing Officer to allow benefit of +/5% to the assessee without considering Explanation (2A) to Section 92C(2) inserted by Finance Act 2012 w.e.f. 1.4.2002, whereby deduction of 5% earlier being allowed by appellate authorities has been explicitly prohibited w.e.f. 1.4.2002 and therefore, the ITAT ought not to have issued such directions to the A.O. as are in contravention of the provisions of the statute

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DATE: May 10, 2017 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: June 21, 2017 (Date of publication)
AY: -
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CITATION:
RTI Act: Even if the information has no public interest, it has to be disclosed. Nothing is personal with regard to a public servant discharging his duties. Citizens have right know about his working, honesty, integrity and devotion to duty. Information as to leave availed of, or trips undertaken, cannot be denied on grounds of being personal information. The Income-tax Dept is directed to conduct periodic seminars to familiarize officials about the RTI Act. CPIO warned to be extremely careful & vigilant when answering RTI applications failing which penal action would be imposed

The Commission instructs the income-tax department to convene periodic conferences/seminars to sensitize, familiarize and educate the concerned officials about the relevant provisions of the RTI Act, 2005 for effective discharge of its duties and responsibilities. The CPIO is warned to be extremely careful and vigilant in handling RTI petitions in future, failing which the Commission would initiate penal action under Section 20(1) of the RTI Act, 2005

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DATE: April 28, 2017 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: June 15, 2017 (Date of publication)
AY: 2011-12
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(i) S. 153A/ 153C: When the Addl CIT records that he is granting “mechanical approval” u/s 153D to the draft assessment order for want of time to have meaningful discussion, the assessment order is bad in law and has to be annulled (ii) The Respondent is entitled to raise an objection under Rule 27 even in respect of fresh issues. It is not necessary that the ground should have been decided against the Respondent by the CIT(A)

The approval granted by the Addl. Commissioner is devoid of any application of mind, is mechanical and without considering the materials on record. In our considered opinion, the power vested in the Joint Commissioner/Addl Commissioner to grant or not to grant approval is coupled with a duty. The Addl Commissioner/Joint Commissioner is required to apply his mind to the proposals put up to him for approval in the light of the material relied upon by the AO. The said power cannot be exercised casually and in a routine manner. We are constrained to observe that in the present case, there has been no application of mind by the Addl. Commissioner before granting the approval. Therefore, we have no hesitation to hold that the assessment order made u/s. 143(3) of the Act r.w. Sec. 153A of the Act is bad in law and deserves to be annulled

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DATE: May 26, 2017 (Date of pronouncement)
DATE: June 15, 2017 (Date of publication)
AY: 2005-06
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CITATION:
S. 147/ 148: Entire law on reopening of assessments in the context of "change of opinion" vs. "failure to apply mind", with reference to s. 114 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 and all judgements on the point discussed

Section 114 of the Evidence Act, 1872, is permissive and not a mandatory provision. Nine situations by way of illustrations are stated, which are by way of example or guidelines. As a permissive provision it enables to judge to support his judgment but there is no scope of presumption when facts are known. Presumption of facts under section 114 is rebuttable. The presumption raised under illustration (e) to section 114 of the Act means that when an official act is proved to have been done, it will be presumed to have been regularly done but it does not raise any presumption that an act was done for which there is no evidence or proof