Mere disclosure is enough for satisfying the authority?

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TAPAN KUMAR DUTTA vs. COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX

ISSUE

Mere disclosure made by assessee before the authority can be the basis for reaching a satisfaction that any undisclosed income belongs to him?

HELD

Assessing Officer having jurisdiction over the searched person can proceed against the present Appellant. Therefore, the present Assessing Officer had jurisdiction to proceed against the present Appellant to make a block assessment under Chapter XIV-B of the IT Act, in case the Assessing Officer is prima facie satisfied that any undisclosed income belongs to the present Appellant.

No satisfaction to the effect that undisclosed income belongs to the searched person is necessary before issuing the notice under Section 158BC against the searched person as Section 158BC speaks of a condition that where any search had been conducted under Section 132 or books of accounts or other documents or assets or requisition under Section 132A in case of any person, then, the Assessing Officer shall serve notice to such person requiring him to furnish within specified time a return in the prescribed form.

 Therefore, at the time when notice under Section 158BC was issued by the Assessing Officer to M/s Nitya Kali Rice Mill, it was not necessary for the Assessing Officer to arrive at a satisfaction that any undisclosed income belongs to M/s Nitya Kali Rice Mill. A search was conducted against M/s Nitya Kali Rice Mill under Section 132 of the IT Act.

Since the notice under Section 158BC issued to M/s Nitya Kali Rice Mill and the notice under Section 158BC issued to the Appellant were on the same day i.e., on 09.09.1999, the question of coming to a satisfaction that any undisclosed income based on seized books of accounts or documents or assets belonged to the present Appellant did or could not arise in as much as no reasonable or prudent man can come to such satisfaction unless the seized books of accounts or documents or assets are perused, examined and verified.

Therefore, the Assessing Officer was right in arriving at a decision that the notice under Section 158BC issued to the present Appellant on 09.09.1999 did not satisfy the requirement of Section 158BD of the IT Act. He, therefore, rightly proceeded to issue fresh notice (Second Notice) under Section 158BD on 20.11.2000 after recording a satisfaction that any undisclosed income based on seized books of account or document or assets or other materials may belong to the Appellant. In fact, in the present case, the AO has himself come to a conclusion that the notice issued under Section 158BC on 09.09.1999 to the assessee was not in conformity with the requirement of Section 158BD of the IT Act. The Assessing Officer proceeded under Section 158BD of the IT Act not in pursuance of any direction by the Joint Commissioner but after being satisfied that the case squarely fell within the ambit of Section 158BD of the IT Act.

Assessing Officer needs to satisfy himself that the undisclosed income belongs to any person other than the person with respect to whom the search was made under Section 132 or whose books of accounts or other documents or assets were requisitioned under Section 132A. The very object of the Section 158BD is to give jurisdiction to the Assessing Officer to proceed against any person other than the person against whom a search warrant is issued.

Assessing Officer to take the undisclosed income of the Appellant including from the benami business in the name of two other persons at an aggregate sum of Rs 17 lakhs as against Rs 14 lakhs declared by the Appellant in his block return was passed in contravention of law and is not sustainable in the eyes of law.

CONCLUSION

Mere disclosure made by assessee before the authority cannot be the basis for reaching a satisfaction that any undisclosed income belongs to him unless the seized books of accounts or other documents or assets are perused, examined or verified by the concerned Assessing Officer.

In favour of

Revenue


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