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2016 (9) TMI 1382 - AT - Income TaxBenefit of Section 11 and 12 - amendment to sec 12A(2) - Retrospectivity - whether payment of Education Extension Services to the Diocese of Jalandhar, notified U/s 10(23C)(vi), as well as registered U/s. 12A of the Act and persuing the object of prompting education through running various schools, can be regarded as application of income? - Held that:- The first proviso to section 12A(2) of the Act is applicable retrospectively. Likewise, for the same reasoning, it is also held, regarding the second batch of appeals, that even the second proviso to Section 12A(2) is retrospective in nature and the completed assessments in these cases ought not to have been reopened only for non-registration for the relevant assessment years. Whether the assessment proceeding "pending before the Assessing Officer", as stated in the first proviso to Section 12A(2) can be taken as "pending in appeal"? - Held that:- This issue also stands answered in favour of the assessee by Shree Bhanushali Mitra Mandal Trust [2016 (4) TMI 578 - ITAT AHMEDABAD] wherein, it was held that appeal is a continuation of the original proceedings and assessment proceedings pending before an appellate authority should be deemed to be "assessment proceedings pending before the Assessing Officer" within the meaning of Section 12A. Accordingly, it is held that the appellate proceedings before the appellate authorities are deemed to be assessment proceedings pending before the Assessing Officer Whether payment of Education Extension Services to the Diocese of Jalandhar, notified U/s 10(23C)(vi), as well as registered U/s. 12A of the Act and persuing the object of prompting education through running various schools, can be regarded as application of income - Held that:- ere, it is not in dispute that the Diocese of Jalandhar is not only registered U/s 12A of the Act, it is also notified U/s. 10(23C)(vi) of the Act. Besides, for A.Ys. 2007-08 to-2013-14, vide orders passed U/s 143(3) of the Act (copies on record), its stands taken note of that the Diocese of Jalandhar is running various schools and that exemption U/ss. 11 and 12 of the Act has been allowed with regard to its income. Therefore, it has wrongly been held in the impugned order that the payment of education extension services made by the assessee to the Diocese of Jalandhar out of the current year income, as is also available from the income and expenditure account of the relevant financial years, is not allowable as application of income. The restriction/embargo in donation by one charitable Trust to another is only restricted to accumulations made in excess of 15% of income of the Trust, as referred to in Section 11(2) of the Act; and that the said prohibition does not apply, to current year income, or even to accumulations up to 15% U/s. 11(l)(a) of the Act. It may be reiterated that the Diocese of Jalandhar stands notified U/s. 10(23C)(vi) of the Act. This provision, it may be noted, is applicable to universities and educational institutions, which exist solely for educational purposes and not for purposes of profit. Neither the assessment order/s of the assessee/s, nor the assessment order/s of the Diocese of Jalandhar, carry any finding of the Diocese of Jalandhar pursuing religious objects. Merely having religious objects does not amount to pursuing religious objects, It is the actual objects perused and the actual activities undertaken, which are of consequence so far as regards our present purposes. Therefore, it cannot be denied that the Diocese of Jalandhar is engaged solely in pursuing the object of education. It runs various schools. Hence, it is but a charitable institution pursuing objects which are similar to those of the assessee. That being so, the amount paid to the Diocese of Jalandhar being out of the current year income and not out of accumulated income, such payment of education extension services to the Diocese of Jalandhar is to be allowed as application of the income. It is so ordered. In view of the above discussion, we hold that (1) the subsequent grant of registration in all the cases respectively operates retrospectively for all the years under consideration; and (2) payment of education extension services to the Diocese of Jalandhar is application of income, duly satisfying the provisions of Sections 11(l)(a) and 11(3)(d) of the Act. - Decided in favour of assessee.
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