{"id":7825,"date":"2020-06-11T10:02:34","date_gmt":"2020-06-11T04:32:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itatonline.org\/articles_new\/?p=7825"},"modified":"2020-06-11T10:14:26","modified_gmt":"2020-06-11T04:44:26","slug":"immunity-from-penalty-prosecution-dissection-of-section-270aa-of-the-income-tax-act-1961","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itatonline.org\/articles_new\/immunity-from-penalty-prosecution-dissection-of-section-270aa-of-the-income-tax-act-1961\/","title":{"rendered":"Immunity From Penalty &#038; Prosecution \u2013 Dissection Of Section 270AA Of The Income-tax Act, 1961"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/itatonline.org\/articles_new\/wp-content\/uploads\/Sameer-Bhatia.jpg\" alt=\"Sameer-Bhatia\" width=\"86\" height=\"100\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-7488\" \/><strong> Section 270AA of the Income-tax Act, 1961 provides taxpayers with immunity from imposition of penalty under section 270A and prosecution under sections 276C and 276CC of the Act. Advocate Sameer Bhatia has analyzed the provision in detail and explained its nuances. He has also advised on the circumstances in which assessees should, and should not, opt for the immunity and should instead choose to contest the penalty and prosecution on merits <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><u>Prologue  of the Provisions in General<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The penalties generally imposable under the Income Tax Act, 1961 are  governed by the provisions of Chapter XXI with sections ranging from 270 up to  275. A very drastic change has since been introduced in the law by way of  insertion of section 270A dealing with penalty for under-reporting and  misreporting of income inserted by the Finance Act, 2016 with effect from 01st  April, 2017. The provisions governing penalty have since now been categorized  into charge specific arena with prime focus on the cases wherein a person shall  be considered to have under-reported his income and\/or mis-reported his income  as a consequence of under-reporting of income. Section 270AA of the Income Tax  Act which got inserted in the statute by the Finance Act, 2016 with effect from  01st April, 2017 is part and parcel of its corresponding provision  implanted in section 270A. Section 270AA of the Act deals with the provisions  pertaining to immunity from imposition of penalty and initiation of proceedings  under section 276C or section 276CC which in turn depends upon fulfillment of  certain conditions prescribed therein for the so called indirect settlement.  <\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong><u>Preface  of section 270AA <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>&nbsp;[<strong>Immunity from imposition of penalty, etc.<\/strong> <\/em>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>270AA.&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><em>(1) An assessee may make an  application to the Assessing Officer to grant immunity from imposition of  penalty under&nbsp;<u>section&nbsp;270A<\/u>&nbsp;and initiation of proceedings under&nbsp;<u>section&nbsp;276C<\/u>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<u>section&nbsp;276CC<\/u>, if he fulfils the following conditions, namely:&mdash;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>(a) the tax and interest payable as per the order of assessment or reassessment under sub-section\u00a0(3) of\u00a0section\u00a0143\u00a0or\u00a0section\u00a0147, as the case may be, has been paid within the period specified in such notice of demand; and<\/p>\n<p>(b) no appeal against the order referred to in clause (a) has been filed.<\/p>\n<p><em>(2) An  application referred to in sub-<\/em><em>section<\/em><em>&nbsp;(1) shall be made within one month from the end of the month in which  the order referred to in clause (a) of sub-<\/em><em>section<\/em><em>&nbsp;(1) has been received and shall be made in such form and verified in  such manner as may be prescribed.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>(3)  The Assessing Officer shall, subject to fulfilment of the conditions specified  in sub-section&nbsp;(1)  and after the expiry of the period of filing the appeal as specified in clause  (b) of sub-section&nbsp;(2) of&nbsp;<u>section&nbsp;249<\/u>, grant immunity from imposition of penalty under&nbsp;<u>section&nbsp;270A<\/u>&nbsp;and initiation of proceedings under&nbsp;<u>section&nbsp;276C<\/u>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<u>section&nbsp;276CC<\/u>, where the proceedings for penalty under&nbsp;<u>section&nbsp;270A<\/u>&nbsp;has not been initiated under the circumstances referred to in  sub-section&nbsp;(9) of the said&nbsp;<u>section&nbsp;270A<\/u>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>(4)  The Assessing Officer shall, within a period of one month from the end of the  month in which the application under sub-section<\/em><em>&nbsp;(1)  is received, pass an order accepting or rejecting such application:<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Provided<\/em><\/strong><em>&nbsp;that no order rejecting the application shall be passed unless the  assessee has been given an opportunity of being heard.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>(5)  The order made under sub-<\/em><em>section<\/em><em>&nbsp;(4) shall be final.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>(6) No  appeal under&nbsp;<u>section&nbsp;246A<\/u>&nbsp;or an application for revision under&nbsp;<u>section&nbsp;264<\/u>&nbsp;shall be admissible against the order of assessment or reassessment,  referred to in clause (a) of sub-section&nbsp;(1),  in a case where an order under sub-section&nbsp;(4) has been made accepting the application.]<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The  section as is so worded stands invoked on an application made by an assessee to  the assessing officer concerned with a request to grant immunity from  imposition of penalty under section 270A and initiation of prosecution under  section 276C (default in respect of willful attempt of evade tax) or section  276CC (default in respect of failure to furnish returns of income). Since, the  provisions of section 270A has recently been introduced and applicable with  effect from 01st April, 2017, the provisions pertaining to  initiation of prosecution under section 276C was the outcome of its insertion  in the statute by the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Act, 1970 with effect from 01st  April, 1971 as substituted by the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Act, 1975 with  effect from 01st October, 1975 and section 276CC which got inserted  by the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Act, 1975 with effect from 01st  October, 1975. Further, the provisions of section 270AA are conditional in the  sense that an assessee can be granted immunity from imposition of penalty under  section 270A and initiation of proceedings under section 276C or Section 276CC,  if he fulfills the undernoted conditions:-<\/p>\n<p>1.The  payment of tax and interest determined to be payable as per order of assessment  or reassessment passed under sub-section (3) of section 143 or section 147, as  the case may be and that too within the period prescribed in the notice of  demand issued,<br \/>\n  AND<\/p>\n<p>2.The  assessee prefers no appeal against the orders passed under section 143(3) or  section 147 by virtue of which his liability of pay tax and interest arose  under the statute. <\/p>\n<p>Thus,  on a prefatory note, satisfaction of the twin conditions mentioned above can  suitably lead the assessee on the path of immunity being extended to him in so  far as the imposition penalty and initiation of prosecution is concerned.  Furthermore, the condition that time prescribed for in the notice of demand  issued under section 156 has to followed touching upon the act of payment good  the payment due in form of tax and interest liability determined on assessment. <\/p>\n<p><strong><u>Elucidation  of the expression `<\/u><\/strong><strong><em><u>has been paid within  the period specified in such notice of demand as used in Clause (a) of section  270AA(1)&rsquo;<\/u><\/em><\/strong><strong><u> <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In  addition to the above, clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 270AA  specifically puts forward an embargo requiring the assessee to make good the  payment of dues within the time prescribed in the notice of demand i.e. Form  No.7 (Rule 15) of the Income Tax Rules, 1962, section 156 of the Income Tax  Act, 1961. A fundamental question that arises here for consideration is what if  the payment outstanding in form of tax and interest determined on assessment  under section 143(3) or 147 is not paid within the time allowed\/prescribed for  in the notice and can the notice issued under section 156 prescribed a time  period of less than thirty days in order to enable the assessee to discharge  the burden of taxes\/interest due.<\/p>\n<p>Literal understanding makes it clear  that it is obligatory on the part of assessee to make good the payment of  taxes\/interest due pursuant to its determination within the time prescribed in  the notice issued under section 156 in absence of which the determination of  taxes\/interest is not enforceable. Form No.7 specifically provides that amount  due should be paid to the Manager, authorized bank\/State Bank of India\/ Reserve  Bank of India at _____within <strong><u>30<\/u><\/strong><u> days<\/u> of the service of  this notice. It also provides that with the previous approval of the Joint  Commissioner of Income Tax, a period of less than <strong><u>30 days can be allowed  for the payment of sum due<\/u>. <\/strong>Thus, undisputedly since discretion is  conferred upon the assessing officer to determine the amount payable either  within 30 days or a period of less than 30 days (with the prior approval of  Joint Commissioner of Income Tax), payment of taxes and interest must be made  within the time prescribed in the notice issued. In the event of non-payment of  taxes and interest within the period specified, no relaxation has been provided  for in the provision thereby disentitling the assessee from availing the  benefits of acquiring immunity from penalty under section 270AA and prosecution  on two counts i.e. 276C &amp; 276CC. The demand notice issued under section 156  must be in the prescribed form and should be properly serviced on the subject  and in its absence, the assessee cannot be treated as an assessee in default  and no recovery proceedings can be launched and initiated against him as  settled by the Hon&rsquo;ble Gujarat High Court in <strong><em>Bal Chandanben Jivanlal vs.  L.D.Joshi, Collector, Bhavnager (1969) 74 ITR 448 (Gujarat). <\/em><\/strong>It has  also been settled by the Hon&rsquo;ble Bombay High Court in <strong><em>Rasiklal Amritlal  Doshi vs. A.Nundy, Addll ITO (1961) 42 ITR 35 (Bom) <\/em><\/strong>that a valid order  passed under or in pursuance to the provisions of the Act must precede (and not  succeed) notice of demand issued under section 156 of the Income Tax Act. <\/p>\n<p><strong><u>Section  270AA (2) pertaining to filing of application in Form No.68<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In addition sub-section 2 of section 270AA states that  application as referred to in sub-section (1) shall be made within one month  from the end of the month in which the order referred to in clause (a) of  sub-section (1) has been received. Such application shall be in filed in Form  No.68 as so prescribed for the said purposes which stands in tune with the  provisions of Rule 129 of the Income Tax Rules, 1962 as notified. Rule 129 of  the Income Tax Rules has been worded as under:- <\/p>\n<p><strong>129.&nbsp;<\/strong><em>An  application to the Assessing Officer to grant immunity from imposition of  penalty under section 270A and from initiation of proceedings under section  276C or section 276CC shall be made in Form No.68<\/em>.<strong>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It can  be illustrated with the aid of an example as to the time by which an  application under section 270AA(2) can be moved by the assessee. Supposing an  order under section 143(3) or section 147 in respect an assessment year has  been passed on 22nd December, 2019 and received by the assessee as  on 28th December, 2019, the application is required to made within  one month by the end of month in which such order is received <strong>i.e. 31st  January, 2020<\/strong> as the order passed on 22nd December, 2019 has  been received by assessee on 28th December, 2019. In the said exercise,  clear days attributable to a month has to be taken for the purposes of  computing limitation and the dispute pertaining to 30 \/ 31 days won&rsquo;t be of any  considerable import keeping in view the unambiguous language of the statute.<\/p>\n<p><strong><u>Section  270AA (3) takes into its sweep penalty on account of `Under-reported Income and  not mis-reporting of income&rsquo;<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sub-section  3 of section 270AA further provides that the assessing officer shall on  fulfillment of the conditions stipulated for in sub-section (1) and after the  expiry of period prescribed for filing the appeal as specified in clause (b) of  sub-section (2) of section 249 against the orders passed i.e. section 143(3) or  section 147, grant immunity from imposition of penalty under section 270AA and  initiation of prosecution proceedings under section 276C or section 276CC. The  section also imposes an important rider over the power of the assessing officer  to grant immunity from penalty and prosecution for which due recourse can be  made to the language used in the statute<\/p>\n<p><em>`<strong><u>Where  the proceedings for penalty under section 270A has not been initiated under the  circumstances referred&nbsp; to in sub-section  (9) of the said section 270A.<\/u><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Section  270A(9) particularly states that cases of misreporting of income referred to in  sub-section (8) shall be the following namely:-<\/p>\n<p><em>(9) The cases of misreporting of  income referred to in sub-section (8) shall be the following, namely:<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>(a) misrepresentation or suppression  of facts;<\/em><br \/>\n    <em>(b) failure to record investments in  the books of account;<\/em><br \/>\n    <em>(c)  claim of expenditure not  substantiated by any evidence;<\/em><br \/>\n    <em>(d) recording of any false entry in the  books of account;<\/em><br \/>\n    <em>(e) failure to record any receipt in  books of account having a bearing on total income; and<\/em><br \/>\n    <em>(f) failure to report any  international transaction or any transaction deemed to be an international  transaction or any specified domestic transaction, to which the provisions of  Chapter X apply.&rdquo;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Bare  language of sub-section 3 of section 270AA demonstrates that it is only in  cases where proceeding for penalty under section 270A <strong><u>HAS NOT BEEN  INITIATED<\/u><\/strong> under the circumstances referred to in sub-section (9) of the  said section 270A, the assessing officer is empowered to grant immunity from  penalty and prosecution. Sub-section 9 of section 270A deals with the  provisions pertaining to imposition of penalty on account of misreported income  i.e. underreporting is in consequence of misreporting. <strong><u>Thereby  irrefutable conclusion can be drawn that in case the assessee has been show  caused as to the underreported parameter of penalty coupled with satisfaction  of conditions employed in sub-section (1) &amp; (2) of section 270AA, he is  empowered to grant immunity from imposition of penalty and initiation of  prosecution and not in the case recruited for misreported income (i.e.  underreported in consequence of misreported income i.e. section 270A(9).<\/u><\/strong> Therefore it is undisputable that it is on account of the penalty being  fastened on the assessee on account of underreporting charge, assessing can  proceed to grant immunity from penalty and not otherwise i.e. in case if  misreporting as he is deprived of any power to do that statutorily. In the  event, the assessing officer proceeds to grant immunity from penalty and  prosecution on the strength of incorrect interpretation as to the law prevalent  in light of the provisions of sub section (3) of section 270AA, it will  construed as no immunity in the eyes of law and the assessee can be proceeded  against under the respective provisions of statute subject to limitation  available with the department.<\/p>\n<p><strong><u>Section  270AA (4) deals with the passing of order granting\/rejecting application filed  under sub-section (1)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Sub-section (4) of section 270AA  further provides that the assessing officer shall within a period of one month  from the end of month in which the application under sub-section (1) is  received, pass an order accepting or rejecting the application filed by the  assessee. This provision clarifies that passing of an order under section 270AA  accepting\/rejecting the stand of assessee is at the discretion\/mercy of the  assessing officer who may or may not accept the declaration filed under  sub-section (1) in Form No.68. This provision also contains a rider that no  order rejecting the application moved by assessee shall be passed unless the  assessee has been afforded an opportunity of being heard in the matter. There  is nothing new in the so called provision extending opportunity as it stands in  compliance with the principles of natural justice, equity &amp; fair-play.  Likewise, if the application has been filed with the assessing officer in the  month of January, 2020, then the assessing officer is supposed to pass an order  by February, 2020 as in due compliance with the provisions of section 270AA(4) of  the Act. <\/p>\n<p>Though law do provides the time  within which such an order can accordingly be passed by the assessing officer  but it does not take care of the situation where such order is not passed  beyond the time prescribed in the statute. Apart from this, whether the  assessing officer can go in for stretching\/extending the time available to him  under section 270AA(4) again is amenable to the litigious front and the gaps is  seriously required to be filled in either by way of legislative amendment to  the provision by way of an explanation or through interpretation accorded to  the provisions by courts. <\/p>\n<p><strong><u>Section 270AA (5) provides that the order passed under section 270AA(4)  will be final. <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sub-section  (5) of section 270AA provides that the order passed under section 270AA(4) by  the assessing officer shall be final and further recourse in respect of the  same will not available to the assessee concerned. However the said provision  in any manner cannot oust the jurisdiction of the writ courts to step in on account  of any breach committed in the course of proper exercise of power by the  assessing officer concerned. In literal sense, it does get conveyed that order  passed by the assessing officer under section 270AA(4) whether accepting the  prayer of assessee or rejecting it will be final on its terms.<\/p>\n<p><strong><u>Section  270AA (6) restricts the right of assessee to contest the order passed under  section 143(3) or section 147 of the Act in the event of an acceptance of  application under section 270AA(4) is passed.<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Sub-section  (6) of section 270AA provides that no appeal under section 246A or an  application for revision under section 264 shall be admissible against the  order of assessment or reassessment passed under section 143(3) or 147 in the  event application filed by the assessee under section 270AA(4) is accepted by  the assessing officer concerned. This provision has the impact of restricting  the right of assessee lawfully to contest the findings of assessment order  passed under section 143(3) or 147 where immunity proceedings arising out of  such assessment or reassessment have been decreed in favour of assessee by the  assessing officer concerned under section 270AA(4).&nbsp; This provision by itself has the scope of  restricting the purview of section 264 of the Income Tax Act, 1961 which is  wide enough to cover any order passed by the Income Tax authority however at  the same time leaving the scope for invoking of the power under section 263 by  the department. It must be borne in mind that powers under section 264 of the  Income Tax Act, 1961 are wider in scope when compared with the powers available  to department under section 263 and can be inferred from the following  pronouncements of various writ courts:-<\/p>\n<p><em>Hitech  Analystical Services&nbsp;v.&nbsp;Pr. CIT&nbsp;[2017]  251&nbsp;Taxman&nbsp;60\/86  taxmann.com 164 (Guj)&nbsp;, &nbsp;C.  Parikh &amp; Co.&nbsp;v.&nbsp;CIT&nbsp;[1980]  122 ITR 610\/4&nbsp;Taxman&nbsp;224  (Guj), Parekh Bros.&nbsp;v.&nbsp;CIT&nbsp;[1984]  150 ITR 105\/ [1983] 15&nbsp;Taxman&nbsp;359 (Kerala), Digvijay Cement Co. Ltd.&nbsp;v.&nbsp;C.B. Rathi,  CIT&nbsp;[1994]  210 ITR 797\/75&nbsp;Taxman&nbsp;355  (Guj.),Vijay Gupta&nbsp;v.&nbsp;CIT&nbsp;[2016]  386 ITR 643\/238&nbsp;Taxman&nbsp;505\/68  taxmann.com 131 (Delhi),&nbsp;Rites  Ltd.&nbsp;v.&nbsp;CIT&nbsp;[2017]  83 taxmann.com 267&nbsp;(Delhi)  and&nbsp;Sri Selvamuthukumar&nbsp;v.&nbsp;CIT&nbsp;[2017]  394 ITR 247\/246&nbsp;Taxman&nbsp;185\/79  taxmann.com 113 (Madras).<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The  provision of section 270AA(6) itself plays foul by impleading section 264 as  restricting provision wherein no recourse to the assessee is available in the  event of arbitrary rejection of its application moved in Form No.68 with the  assessing officer as the order passed is a final order. However the assessee  can challenge the order passed under section 270AA(4) by taking recourse to the  writ\/constitutional courts whose jurisdiction cannot be intelligently inferred  to have been ousted by conjoint reading of section 270AA(5) and 270AA(6) of the  Income Tax Act, 1961 even though the order passed under section 270AA(5) is a  final order. <\/p>\n<p><strong><u>Implication  of Circular No.5\/2018 dated 16th August, 2018<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Central Board of  Direct Taxes had issued Circular dated 16th August, 2018 in context  of the provisions of section 270AA of the Income Tax Act, 1961 (Contents  produced below). The CBDT has clarified through the Circular No.5\/2018 issued  that merely because the assessee intended or is desirous of availing the benefit  of the provisions of section 270AA seeking immunity from penalty and  prosecution under the respective provisions, it will not restrict the right of  the assessee to contest the same issue in any earlier year falling under the  erstwhile provision section 271(1)(c). The assessee regardless of its action  under section 270AA can still challenge the proceedings under section 271(1)(c)  pertaining to earlier years and the Income Tax authority cannot possibly draw  adverse inference by taking undue advantage of the application moved by  assessee under section 270AA(2) in Form No.68.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><strong><u>Circular  No. 5\/2018 <\/u><\/strong><br \/>\n <em> F. No.  370149\/155\/2018-TPL <br \/>\n  Government of India<br \/>\n  Ministry of Finance<br \/>\n  Department of  Revenue<br \/>\n  (Central Board of  Direct Taxes)<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">New Delhi, Dated  16th August, 2018<\/p>\n<p>Clarification on the  immunity provided u\/s 270AA of the Income-tax Act, 1961 Section 270AA of the  Income-tax Act, 1961 (the Act) inter alia provides that w.e.f. 1 st April,  2017, the Assessing Officer, on an application made by an assessee, may grant  immunity from imposition of penalty under section 270A (not being penalty for  misreporting) and initiation of proceedings under section 276C or section  276CC, subject to the conditions specified therein. 2. Apprehensions have been  raised that where an assessee makes an application seeking immunity under  section 270AA of the Act, and in the earlier year(s) penalty under section  271(1)(c) of the Act has been initiated on the same issue, the Income-tax  Authority may contend that the assessee has acquiesced on the issue in such  earlier year (s), by seeking immunity under section 270AA of the Act and  therefore, take an adverse view in the proceedings for penalty under section  271(1)(c) of the Act. 3. In this matter, it is hereby clarified that where an  assessee makes an application seeking immunity under section 270AA of the Act,  it shall not preclude such assessee from contesting the same issue in any  earlier assessment year. Further, the Income-tax Authority, shall not take an  adverse view in the proceedings for penalty under section 271(1)(c) of the Act  in earlier assessment years merely on the ground that the assessee has  acquiesced on the issue in any later assessment year by preferring an immunity  on such issue under section 270AA of the Act.<\/p>\n<p align=\"right\">(Sanyam Suresh  Joshi) <br \/>\n  DCIT (OSD) (TPL)-III<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><u>Epilogue <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p> Provisions of section 270AA dealing  with the immunity from imposition of penalty under section 270A and prosecution  under section(s) 276C and 276CC no doubt provide the assessee with a ray of  hope that there can be an end to the vicious circle of litigation surrounding  him. But the same has to be thoughtfully read in the governing circumstances of  the case specifically where the charge of penalty is restricted to  under-reported income. The said provision in its restrictive application  applies to imputation arising out of penalty qua under-reported income and  prosecution on account of willful attempt to evade tax and failure to furnish  return of income. The Hon&rsquo;ble Supreme Court in a recent pronouncement titled <strong><em>Basir  Ahmed Sisodia vs. Income Tax Officer (2020) 116 Taxman.com 375 (SC) dated 24th  April, 2020 <\/em><\/strong>introduced significant back-pedal for the assessee touching  upon the penalty proceedings to help battle out the case of assessment  proceedings. Thus where the issues are covered in favour of the assessee by the  pronouncements of writ courts\/tribunal(s), it will not be in the fitness of  things to go for settlement under section 270AA specifically when the assessee  can&nbsp; lead fresh evidence in penalty proceedings  counter the findings of assessment. Apart from this, the under noted  jurisprudence settled by the Hon&rsquo;ble Supreme Court in <strong><em>Hindustan Steel  Limited vs. State or Orissa (1972) 83 ITR 26 (SC) <\/em><\/strong>in context of penalty  still holds the field and can suitably apply to contest the proceedings  initiated pursuant to section 270AA of the Income Tax Act both in respect of  the charge of under-reported income &amp; mis-reported income.<\/p>\n<p><em>`An  order imposing penalty for failure to carry out a statutory obligation is the result  of a quasi-criminal proceeding, and penalty will not ordinarily be imposed  unless the party obliged, either acted deliberately in defiance of law or  guilty of conduct, contumacious or dishonest, or acted in conscious disregard  to its obligation. Penalty will not also be imposed merely because it is lawful  to do so. Whether penalty should be imposed for failure to perform a statutory  obligation is a matter of discretion of the authority to be exercised  judicially and on a consideration of all the relevant circumstances. Even if a  minimum penalty is prescribed, the authority competent to impose the penalty  will be justified in refusing to impose penalty, when there is a technical or  venial breach of the provisions of the Act or where the breach flows from  a&nbsp;bona fide&nbsp;belief that the offender is not liable to act in the  manner prescribed by the statute.&rsquo;<\/em><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Thus, it is clear that in light of the discussion  made above that immunity can be granted only in the prescribed circumstances  and that too in the prescribed manner as the discretion of the asessing  officer. Section 270AA restricts in its import the liability towards tax and  the interest determined and payable subject to the outcome of proceedings  either under section 143(3) or section 147, but does not come within the  purview of the provision of section 144. In the event of an-exparte assessment,  the assessee will not be in a position to file an application for seeking  immunity from imposition of penalty and initiation of prosecution proceedings  under section 270A and 276C\/276CC of the Act.<\/p>\n<p align=\"right\"><strong><em>Sameer  Bhatia,<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n  <strong><em>Advocate,  Punjab &amp; Haryana High Court,<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n  <strong><em>R\/o  158\/2, Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar, <\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n  <strong><em>Opposite  Mata Gujri Park, <\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n  <strong><em>Jalandhar&nbsp; &#8211; 144003<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n  <strong><em>Contact  No: 90413-04900 \/ 98142-18476<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<strong><em>Email  address: adv.sameerbhatia@gmail.com<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<table width=\"103%\" border=\"1\" cellpadding=\"5\" cellspacing=\"0\" bgcolor=\"#FFFFCC\">\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Disclaimer: <\/strong>The  contents of this document are solely for informational purpose. It does not  constitute professional advice or a formal recommendation. While due care has  been taken in preparing this document, the existence of mistakes and omissions  herein is not ruled out. Neither the author nor itatonline.org and its  affiliates accepts any liabilities for any loss or damage of any kind arising  out of any inaccurate or incomplete information in this document nor for any  actions taken in reliance thereon. No part of this document should be  distributed or copied (except for personal, non-commercial use) without  express written permission of itatonline.org<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Section 270AA of the Income-tax Act, 1961 provides taxpayers with immunity from imposition of penalty under section 270A and prosecution under sections 276C and 276CC of the Act. Advocate Sameer Bhatia has analyzed the provision in detail and explained its nuances. He has also advised on the circumstances in which assessees should, and should not, opt for the immunity and should instead choose to contest the penalty and prosecution on merits<\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/itatonline.org\/articles_new\/immunity-from-penalty-prosecution-dissection-of-section-270aa-of-the-income-tax-act-1961\/\">Read more &#8250;<\/a><\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/itatonline.org\/articles_new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/itatonline.org\/articles_new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/itatonline.org\/articles_new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itatonline.org\/articles_new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itatonline.org\/articles_new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7825"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/itatonline.org\/articles_new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7825\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/itatonline.org\/articles_new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itatonline.org\/articles_new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itatonline.org\/articles_new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}