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2022 (2) TMI 535 - HC - Income TaxRevision u/s 264 - Scope of jurisdiction u/s 264 - claim of refund of excess DDT - HELD THAT:- First, the assessee had not claimed refund in the original and revised return and, thus, there was no error in the assessment order passed under Section 143(3) on 18th December, 2018. Second, respondent no.1 was of the view that the jurisdiction under Section 264 was confined to correct the order which is found to be apparently erroneous. Respondent no.1 was justified in recording that the assessee had not claimed refund of excess tax paid by it in the original and revised return. However, respondent no.1 committed an error in constricting the scope of revisional jurisdiction, in the backdrop of the said undisputed factual position. In fact, the very foundation of the application under Section 264 of the Act, 1961 was that the assessee had inadvertently failed to claim the benefit of Article 10 of the India – Kuwait DTAA, under which the dividend distribution was taxed at a lower rate. We are of the view that the approach of respondent no.1 in refusing to exercise the jurisdiction under Section 264 of the Act, 1961 on the premise that it can be lawfully exercised only where such a refund was claimed and considered by the Assessing Officer is neither borne out by the text of Section 264 of the Act, 1961 nor the construction put thereon by the precedents. The aforesaid reasoning indicates that respondent no.1 failed to appreciate the distinction between revisional and review jurisdiction. The principles which govern the exercise of review were sought to be unjustifiably imported to the exercise of power under Section 264 of the Act, 1961 and thereby imposing limitations which do not exist on exercise of such power. Undoubtedly, revisional jurisdiction is not as wide as an appellate jurisdiction. At the same time, revisional jurisdiction cannot be confused with the power of review, which by its very nature is limited. This concurred with the view that Section 264 does not limit the power to correct errors committed by the sub-ordinate authorities and could even be exercised where errors are committed by the assessee and there is nothing in Section 264 which places any restriction on the Commissioner’s revisional power to give relief to the assessee in a case where assessee detects mistakes after the assessment is completed.
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