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2022 (8) TMI 377 - AT - Income TaxRevision u/s 263 - Unexplained income - discrepancies found, confronted and accepted by the assessee during the course of survey attract the deeming provisions of section 68, 69, 69A, 69B & 69C and the income referred therein is chargeable to tax at rate prescribed under section 115BBE Act - As per CIT AO has failed to enquire about the source of income in order to assess the income under the appropriate head of income or the relevant deeming provisions and accordingly, the order so passed has been held as erroneous and prejudicial to the interest of Revenue - HELD THAT:- Merely stating that excess cash is clearly covered u/s 68 or 69A, excess stock is covered u/s 69 or 69B, construction of Shed/Godown is covered u/s 69B or 69C and advances made to Sundry Parties is covered u/s 69, 69B or 69D is like an open ended hypothesis which is not supported by any specific finding that the matter shall fall under which of the specific sections and how the conditions stated therein are satisfied before the said provisions are invoked. It is like laying a general rule, which to our mind is beyond the mandate of law, that wherever there is a survey and some income is detected or surrendered by the assessee, the deeming provisions are attracted by default and by virtue of the same, provisions of section 115BBE are attracted. The ld PCIT has to record his specific findings as to the applicability of the relevant provisions and how the explanation called for and offered by the assessee is not acceptable in the facts of the present case which is clearly absent in the instant case. Therefore, where the ld PCIT himself is not clear about the applicability of relevant provisions and in the same breath holding the Assessing officer to task by not invoking the said provisions is clearly shooting in the dark which cannot be sustained in the eyes of law and the order so passed therefore cannot be held as erroneous in the eyes of law. There are documents in form of statement of the assessee recorded u/s 133A during the course of survey and the surrender letter dated 21.10.2016 submitted by the assessee at the time of survey and these documents are very much part of the records which is available at the time of assessment as well as at the time of examination by the ld PCIT. In the statement so recorded at the time of survey, the assessee was specifically asked about the source of his income and in response, he has submitted that he is getting income from Gandhi General Store and share of profit from partnership firm, M/s Gandhi Soap and Detergent Industries. Thereafter, in respect of excess cash found at the time of survey, the assessee was asked a specific question to explain the difference and in response, he has submitted that the difference or the excess cash is on account of sales realization during the previous days which he offers over and above his normal business income. AO has duly taken cognizance of statement of the assessee recorded during the course of survey, the surrender letter and the return of income, and after examination thereof and due application of mind has not drawn any adverse inference and income has been rightly assessed under the head “business income”. In light of the same, we are of the considered view that the order so passed by the Assessing officer cannot be held as erroneous due to lack of enquiry or for that matter, requisite enquiry on the part of the Assessing officer. Where the Assessing officer after due appreciation of facts and circumstances of the case, assessed the income under the head “business income” and didn’t invoke the deeming provisions as so suggested by the ld PCIT, we do not believe that there is any error on part of the Assessing officer and the order so passed by him cannot be held as erroneous The view so taken by the AO is after due application of mind and therefore cannot be held as unsustainable in the eyes of law. In the facts and circumstances of the present case, where there are specific questions asked during the course of survey regarding the nature and source of income and which has been adequately responded to by the assessee and thereafter acted upon in terms of disclosing the income in the return of income under the appropriate head of income and where the same is duly examined and taken into consideration by the Assessing officer during the course of assessment proceedings, the order so passed by the Assessing officer cannot be held as erroneous in nature. - Decided in favour of assessee.
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