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2018 (8) TMI 597

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....as conducted on M/s Krrish Group of cases on 09.11.2011. A survey u/s 133A of the Act was also carried out on the business premises of the assessee. Assessee earned income from business and other sources. The assessee filed its original return declaring total income of Rs. 2,08,95,242/- on 28.09.2012. In response to notice under section 153A(1) (a] r.w.s 153C, assessee filed revised return declaring total income of Rs. 2,22,43,593/-. Assessment was framed at Rs. 5,22,43,593/- by making addition of Rs. 3 crores as surrendered amount not incorporated in the return of income. Assessee challenged the validity of the assessment proceedings as well as addition on merit before the Ld. CIT(A). However, appeal of the assessee has been dismissed. 3. Assessee in the present appeal, challenged the validity of the proceedings under section 153C of the I.T. Act and addition of Rs. 3 crores. The assessee also moved an application for admission of additional grounds in which assessee raised the following additional grounds : 1. Additional Ground No. 1 "That under the facts and circumstances, in the absence of issuance and service of notice U/s. 153 C r/w. Sec. 153A of the I.T.Act, the jurisdi....

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....ment has been rightly framed under section 153A(1)(b) of the I.T. Act, 1961. 5. After considering the rival submissions, we are of the view that the additional grounds are legal in nature and no new facts shall have to be considered. The additional grounds go to the validity of the assessment proceedings under section 153C of the I.T. Act, therefore, the same should be admitted for deciding the appeal. The Hon'ble Punjab & Haryana High Court in the case of VMT Spinning CoLtd., vs. CIT (2016) 389 ITR 326 (P & H) considering various decisions including the decision ofthe Hon'ble Supreme Court in the case of National Thermal Power Co. Ltd., (1998) 229 ITR 383 (SC) held that "the Tribunal could decide the appeal on a ground neither taken in the Memorandum of Appeal nor by seeking its leave. The only requirement was that the Tribunal could not rest its decisions on any other ground unless the party who might be affected had sufficient opportunity of being heard given on that ground. Therefore, the Tribunal ought to have exercised its discretion in view of the fact that assessee intended raising only a legal argument without reference to any disputed question of facts." 5.1. Consideri....

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.... Act should have been computed for A.Ys. 2008-2009 to 2013- 2014. Since, no notice under section 153C have been issued for assessment year in appeal, therefore, the assessment order is illegal, void and bad in law. He has relied upon the Judgment of Hon'ble Delhi High Court in the case of Pr. CIT vs. Sarwar Agency P. Ltd., (2017) 397 ITR 400 (Del.), Order of ITAT, Delhi, B-Bench in the case of ACIT vs. Empire Casting Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi in ITA.No.4018/Del./2011 and C.O.No.207/Del./2012 dated 21.11.2017 and Order of ITAT, Delhi, C-Bench in the case of Pavitra Realcon Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi vs. ACIT, Central Circle-32, New Delhi in ITA.Nos. 3185, 3186 & 3253/Del./2015 dated 04.10.2017. He has also referred to Memorandum explaining Finance Bill 2017 in which it is provided that "Amendment in Section 153C shall apply in respect of search conducted or requisition made on or after 1st day of April, 2017." 6. On the other hand, Ld. D.R. submitted that Section 153A(1) deals with the years of reopening in the case of search proceeding and as per Section 153C(1) after the satisfaction, the A.O. shall proceed in accordance with provisions of Section 153A(1) of the I.T. Act. Section 153A(1)(b)....

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....the date of initiation of the search under section 132 or making of requisition under section 132A in the second proviso to sub-section (1) of section 153A shall be construed as reference to the date of receiving the books of account or documents or assets seized or requisitioned by theAssessing Officer having jurisdiction over such other person. [Provided further that the Central Government may by rules made by it and published in the Official Gazette, specify the class or classes of cases in respect of such other person, in which the Assessing Officer shall not be required to issue notice for assessing or reassessing the total income for six assessment years immediately preceding the assessment year relevant to the previous year in which search is conducted or requisition is made except in cases where any assessment or reassessment has abated.] [(2) Where books of account or documents or assets seized or requisitioned as referred to in sub-section (1) has or have been received by the Assessing Officer having jurisdiction over such other person after the due date for furnishing the return of income for the assessment year relevant to the previous year in which search is conduc....

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....n 153A has to be construed as the date on whichthe Assessing Officer receives the documents or assets from the Assessing Officer of the searched person, that further proceedings, by virtue of section 153(1) of the Act, would have to be in accordance with section 153A of the Act and the reference to the date of search would have to be construed as the reference to the date of recording of satisfaction. It would follow' that the six assessment years for 'which assessments or reassessments could be made under section 153C of the Act would also have to be construed with reference to the date of handing aver of assets or documents to the Assessing Officerofthe assessee. The amendment in section 153C of the Act by the Finance Act, 2017 with effect from April 1, 2017 totheeffect thatthe Block Period for the person in respect of whom the search was conducted as well as the "other person" would be the same six assessment years immediately preceding the year of search is prospective. A search under section 132 of the Income-tax Act, 1961 took place on November 11,2010 in the T group of cases. The documents pertaining to the assessee were forwarded along with a satisfaction note by th....

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....assessment year 2003-04 and 2004-05 would be beyond the period of six assessment years as reckoned with reference to the date of recording of satisfaction by the AO of the searched person. It is contended by the Revenue that the relevant six assessment years would be the assessment years prior to the assessment year relevant to the previous year in which the search was conducted. If this interpretation as canvassed by the Revenue is accepted, it would mean that whereas in case of a person searched, assessments in relation to six previous years preceding the year in which the search takes place can be reopened but in case of any other person, who is not searched but his assets are seized from the searched person, the period for which the assessments could be reopened would be much beyond the period of six years. This is so because the date of handing over of assets/documents of a person, other than the searched person, to the AO would be subsequent to the date of the search. This, in our view, would be contrary to the scheme of Section 153C(1) of the Act, which construes the date of receipt of assets and documents by the AO of the Assessee (other than one searched) as the date of th....

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....t/re- assessment would commence from assessment year 2004- 05 to assessment year 2009-10. The assessment/re- assessment in respect of assessment year 2003-04 would, thus, be beyond the period of six assessment year as reckoned with reference to the date of satisfaction recorded by the Assessing Officer of the searched person. We, therefore, hold that the learned CIT(A) was quite justified in considering the assessment for assessmentyear2003-04 as outside the scope of section 153C of the Act, being barred by limitation and without jurisdiction. Accordingly, the impugned assessment order is liable to be quashed. We decide accordingly." 7.3. The ITAT, Delhi, C-Bench, in the case of Pavitra Realcon Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi vs. ACIT, C.C.32, New Delhi (supra) under the same circumstances held that "assessment completed under section 143(3) is invalid". The relevant para-16 of the order is reproduced as under : 16. "We find the year for which the impugned assessment order has been passed u/s 143(3) Is for assessment year 2011-12. This year falls within the period of six years when counted from the date of recording of satisfaction note u/s 153/153C of the I.T. Act which is deemed date of....