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2016 (10) TMI 1319 - AT - Income TaxCorrect head of income - gain on sale of property - capital gains or business income - HELD THAT:- The issue involved is essentially factual in nature. It is the case of the assessee that the land and other properties were no correction and acquired/purchased over several years and held as “capital asset” in the nature of investment. From the written submissions of the assessee as extracted by the CIT(A) in his order, we note that there a considerable time lag between the purchase and the sale of land and other properties. Simultaneously, the land/properties have been declared as “capital investment” by the assessee all along. Some of the properties were let out and rent thereon was earned as a yield on such investments. Agricultural income has been consistently declared year-after-year on agricultural land so held before its sale. The non-agricultural land so held were shown as investment and subjected to wealth tax being capital asset. On perusal of the written submissions as reproduced by the CIT(A) we note that the land/properties were purchased and held for several years in many cases before its sale. Coupled with this, we also take note of the fact that assessee has large capital of its own at its disposal which is far in excess of the corresponding investments made in land/properties over years. On cumulative reading of these glaring facts, we fail to comprehend the action of the Revenue in holding capital gains earned on sale as declared to be a business venture. It is manifest that the AO as well as CIT(A) misdirected themselves in law and on facts in holding the land/properties to be in the nature of trading asset merely on the ground that some of the agricultural land were converted into non- Agricultural land and some agreements were entered for the development of the land in the year under appeal acquired and held for decades in many cases. We find considerable weight in the plea of the assessee that intention at the time of purchase to hold impugned land/properties as a capital asset is manifest on records. The balance-sheet filed by the assessee over years, wealth-tax returns filed by the assessee, adequacy of its own capital clearly underscore the intention of the assessee to hold land/properties as capital asset as claimed. We also take note of the plea of the assessee that he is a co-owner of impugned land/properties holding certain percentage of ownership-rights therein and the claim of the land/properties as capital asset has been accepted by the Revenue in the hands of other co-owners in the assessment proceedings u/s.143(3) of the Act. This fact has remained uncontroverted. We also note that having regard to the facts noted above, the Coordinate Bench of the Tribunal in assessee’s own case relevant to AY 2004-05 has decided the issue in favour of the assessee. [2011 (6) TMI 994 - ITAT AHMEDABAD] Thus land/properties were held by the assessee as capital asset before its sale and consequential gains arising on sale thereto is chargeable under the head of “capital gains”. AO is directed to consider the gains arising on sale of land/properties under the head “capital gains”. AO is further directed to de novo consider the relief as and where claimed by the assessee u/s.54B relevant to assessment years under appeals in accordance with law after affording requisite opportunity to the assessee. We accordingly set aside the issue towards eligibility of relief claimed u/s.54B of the Act back to the file of the Assessing Officer for fresh consideration. Validity of assessment u/s 153A - HELD THAT:- On the date of the search the said assessments already stood completed. Since no incriminating material was unearthed during the search, no additions could have been made to the income already assessed. Legal issue stands adjudicated in favor of the assessee. Thus, in our considered view, the realignment of income from one head of income to another without reference to any incriminating material is not sustainable in law in the facts of the present case.
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