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TMI Blog2016 (4) TMI 1290X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... ulled out from the material on record are as under. 4. The assessee is a Co-operative Bank who filed its return of income for A.Y. 2007-08 on 31.10.2007 declaring total income of Rs. 1,17,51,050/-. The case was selected for scrutiny and thereafter the assessment was framed under section 143(3) vide order dated 23.12.2009 and the total income was determined at Rs. 2,05,57,560/-. Aggrieved by the order of A.O., assessee carried the matter before ld. CIT(A) who vide order dated 11.02.2014 (Appeal No. CIT(A) - II/Rjt/159/09- 10) decided the issue in favour of assessee. Aggrieved by the aforesaid order of ld. CIT(A), Revenue is now in appeal before us and has raised the following grounds:- "1) The Ld CIT(A) has erred in law and facts in deleting the addition made by the A.O. on account of provision for overdue interest of Rs. 87,22,000/-, despite the following facts: i) Under the provisions of the Income tax Act, accrued and ascertained liabilities are only deductible expenses and provisions for unaccrued and unascertained liabilities are not allowable expense. ii) The assessee being a cooperative bank is bound by the guidelines; instructions and notifications issued by the Reser ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... ul debts/irrecoverable loans and suspense account maintained for the purpose of interest thereon. However, this is in respect of banking companies. 2. S.43D has been specifically inserted in the Act w.e.f. 1/4/1991. S.43D lays down the principle that income by way of interest in respect of scheduled bank in relation to such categories of bad or doubtful debts as may be prescribed having regard to the guidelines issued by RBI in relation to such debts shall be chargeable to tax in the year in which it is actually received, whichever is earlier. 7. It is now necessary to consider the applicability of these sections to the appellant which is a co-operative bank. Scheduled bank has been defined in the explanation to S.43D as having meaning assigned to it in clause (ii) of explanation 2 to s.36(l)(viia). As per this clause, co-operative banks are not covered in this definition. The appellant being a co-operative bank is not expressly covered by the s.43D. However, CBDT circular dt. 9/10/1984 refers to banking companies. This phrase has been specifically defined in explanation (c) to s.36(l)(viii). It is seen from this definition that co-operative banks are not included in this defin ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... r credited to the P&L account. It is therefore held; that the provisions of S.43D overrides the circular of CBDTdt. 9/10/1984. This finding is also supported by various judicial pronouncements given by various Tribunals. The same have already been mentioned in the submission of the appellant. The Hon'ble Delhi High court in case of Vashistha Vyapar Ltd. (2011) 330 ITR 440, while deciding on the issue in respect of interest on NPAs of NBFCs, has held as under:- "In this scenario, we have to examine the strength in the submission of learned counsel for the Revenue that whether it can still be held that income in the form of interest though not received had still accrued to the assessee under the provisions of Income-tax Act and was, therefore, exigible to tax. Our answer is in the negative and we give the following reasons in support:- (1) First of all we would discuss the matter in the light of the provisions of Income-tax Act and to examine as to whether in the give circumstances, interest income has accrued to the assessee. It. is stated at the cost of repetition that admitted position Is that the assessee had not received any interest on the said ICD placed with Shaw Wa ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... 003] 262 ITR 662/129 Taxman 409 (Bom.) again it was held that the amount credited to the interest suspense account was not taxable following the decision pronounced in the case of UCO Bank (supra). (v) Judgement in favour of Revenue: From the side of the Revenue an order of the Tribunal has been vehemently relied upon and this is the basic reason of the elaborate discussion made hereinabove so as to unfold the controversy. In the said decision of the Tribunal, viz. Jt.CIT v. India Equipment Leasing Ltd. [2008] 111 ITD 37 (Chennai), the Respected Coordinate Bench has expressed that quote "Prior to insertion of section 43D with effect from 1-4-1991, recognition of income was on the basis of circular of 9- 10- 1984. It said that for first three years the income may be taken on accrual basis and from 4th year onwards, the income in respect of doubtful debts was to be recognized on receipt basis. Since the income was to be assessed for first three years on accrual basis, provisions of section 43D were inserted in the Act. Circular No. 621, dated 19-12-1991 gives the legislative intention stating that section 43D was inserted with a view to improving the viability, of banks, public f ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... n one of the paragraphs above. There is one more decision of the Hon'ble Apex Court which is yet to be mentioned while discussing the arguments raised from the side of the Revenue. A decision in the case of Southern Technologies Ltd. (supra) has been cited but the fundamental difference is that the issue before the Hon'ble Court was in respect of provision for NPA and debited to P&L Account by a NBFC. The said provision was undisputedly made by the said NBFC as per the prudential norms made by the Reserve Bank. Therefore we want to make it clear that the question for consideration before the Hon'ble' Court was that if a provision for doubtful debt is made then what will be the legal position of the applicability of Explanation to section 36(1) (vii) of the IT, Act. For the sake of ready reference, relevant paragraph from the held portion is reproduced below:- "The income-tax is a tax on "real income", i.e., the profits arrived at on commercial principles subject to the provisions of the Act. Therefore, if by the Explanation to section 36(l)(vii) a provision for doubtful debt is kept out of the ambit of bad debt which is written off, then one has to take into acc ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... the issue, we deem it important to discuss the decision of India Equipment Leasing Ltd. (supra) for the sake of completeness of our judgement. In that appeal, the assessee was doing the business of hire purchase transaction and leasing of Plant & Machinery. The interest on "sticky loans" not being brought into the Profit & Loss account but being taken to the suspense account was held by the Court as an accepted mode of treatment of notional income in accounting practice. The Court has said that the Circular-9 of October- 1984 serve a practical purpose of laying down a uniform test for the assessing authority to decide whether the interest income which is transferred to suspense account is, in fact, arising in respect of a doubtful or sticky loan. This was done by providing that non-receipt of interest for the first three years will not be treated as interest on a doubtful loan, but if after three years the payment of interest is not received, from the 4th year onwards it will be treated as interest on a doubtful loan and will be added to the income only when it is actually received. Following the UCO Bank (supra), the said appeal of the Revenue was dismissed. " It is also seen th ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... ld. CIT(A) and supported the order of ld. CIT(A). 8. We have heard the rival submissions and perused the material on record. The issue in the present case is with respect to provision of overdue interest on NPA accounts. It is an undisputed fact that assessee is a co-operative bank and is governed by the Reserve Bank of India guidelines. We find that ld. CIT(A) after considering the CBDT Circular, provisions of Act and various decisions cited in the order has held that A.O. was not justified in disallowing the claim of deduction on the issue of interest on overdue loans. We find that Hon'ble Bombay High Court in the case of CIT vs. Deogiri Nagar Sahakari Bank Ltd. & Ors. (2015) 379 ITR 24 (Bom.) has held that prudential norms issued by Reserve Bank of India are equally applicable to co-operative banks and that interest on sticky advances is not taxable. Before us, Revenue has not brought on record any contrary binding decision in its support. In view of the aforesaid facts, we find no reason to interfere with the order of ld. CIT(A). Thus, the ground of Revenue is dismissed. 9. In the result, the appeal of Revenue is dismissed. ITA Nos. 299 & 300/Rjt/2014 for A.Y. 2008-09 & 2009- ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X
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