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2017 (10) TMI 181 - SC - VAT and Sales TaxAmnesty Scheme - Validity of orders issued by the Designated Authority i.e. Additional Commissioner of Income Tax - Delhi Tax Compliance Achievement Scheme, 2013 - power and jurisdiction of the Designated Authority to issue the notice under clause 8 of the Amnesty Scheme - whether, in the present case, there has been any delegation of the said power which is vested in the Commissioner under the aforesaid clause 8? - Held that: - Clause 8(3) of the Amnesty Scheme will have no application to the present case where the initial show cause notice was issued within time and its legitimacy was not contested by the respondent-Assessee. Had such legitimacy been questioned at the stage of reply or even in the course of the adjudication proceedings, there would still have been room/ time for the revenue to correct the error that had occurred. A rectified Notice could even have been issued after the order of adjudication was passed on 11th February, 2015. The close proximity of time between the reply submitted by the assessee to the Show Cause Notice (27.01.2015) and the proceedings in adjudication Revenue on the one hand and the date of filing of the Writ Petition (4.3.2015) would permit us to infer that the conduct of the assessee in raising the issue in the writ petitions and not earlier was not entirely bonafide. Whether a fresh notice under the aforesaid clause of the scheme can still be issued by the competent authority i.e. the Commissioner or the delegatee of the Commissioner? - Held that: - The respondent-Assessee, cannot be allowed to take advantage of its own wrong. The courts exercising extraordinary jurisdiction cannot be understood to be helpless but concede to the assessee an undeserved victory over the Revenue. The power of the High Court under Article 226 of the Constitution, wide and pervasive as it is, should have enabled the High Court to appropriately deal with the situation and issue consequential directions permitting initiation of fresh proceedings, if the Revenue was so inclined. The High Court having failed to so act, we now correct the error and issue directions to enable the Revenue to issue a fresh notice to the assessee under clause 8 of the Amnesty Scheme, if it so desires and is so advised. Appeal allowed - decided in favor of Revenue.
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