TMI Blog2020 (6) TMI 320X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... rkey, JM And Dr. A. L. Saini, AM For the Appellant : Shri A. B. Das, Advocate For the Respondent : Shri M. K. Das, Addl. CIT, Sr. DR ORDER PER SHRI A.T.VARKEY, JM This is an appeal preferred by the assessee against the order of the Ld. CIT(A), Guwahati-1, Guwahati dated 20.12.2018 for AY 2014-15 against the confirmation of penalty imposed u/s. 271(1)(c) of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (hereinafter referred to as the Act ). 2. At the outset, the Ld. Counsel for the assessee drew our attention to the invalid notice served upon the assessee u/s. 274 read with sec. 271 of the Act dated 14.12.2016 and contended that the notice issued by the AO proposing penalty u/s. 271(1)(c) of the Act is defective in nature, since it had not spelt out the specific fault/charge as to whether assessee had concealed the particulars of his income or furnished inaccurate particulars of such income and drew our attention to the notice dated 14.12.2016 issued by the AO u/s. 274 read with section 271 of the Act. We note that the AO has not stricken out the irrelevant portion of the fault/charge which would have spelt out the specific fault/charge against the ass ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... l Vs. CIT (2011) 244 CTR 631 (Cal) has taken a view that Sec.271 does not mandate that the recording of satisfaction about concealment of income must be in specific terms and words and that satisfaction of AO must reflect from the order either with expressed words recorded by the AO or by his overt act and action. In our view this decision is on the question of recording satisfaction and not in the context of specific charge in the mandatory show cause notice u/s.274 of the Act. Therefore reference to this decision, in our view is not of any help to the plea of the Revenue before us. 8. The learned DR relied on three decisions of Mumbai ITAT viz., (i) Dhanraj Mills Pvt. Ltd. Vs. ACIT ITA No.3830 3833/Mum/2009 dated 21.3.2017; (ii) Earthmoving Equipment Service Corporation Vs. DCIT 22(2), Mumbai, (2017) 84 taxmann.com 51 (iii) Mahesh M.Gandhi Vs. ACIT Vs. ACIT ITA No.2976/Mum/2016 dated 27.2.2017. Reliance was placed on two decisions of the Hon ble Bombay High Court viz., (i) CIT Vs. Kaushalya 216 ITR 660(Bom) and (ii) M/S.Maharaj Garage Co. Vs. CIT dated 22.8.2017. This decision was referred to in the written note given by the learned DR. This is an ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... not factually correct. One of the parties before the group of Assessees before the Karnataka High Court in the case of Manjunatha Cotton Ginning (supra) was an Assessee by name M/s.Veerabhadrappa Sangappa Co., in ITA NO.5020 OF 2009 which was an appeal by the revenue. The Tribunal held that on perusal of the notice issued under Section 271(1)(c) of the Act, it is clear that it is a standard proforma used by the Assessing Authority. Before issuing the notice the inappropriate words and paragraphs were neither struck off nor deleted. The Assessing Authority was not sure as to whether she had proceeded on the basis that the assessee had either concealed its income or has furnished inaccurate details. The notice is not in compliance with the requirement of the particular section and therefore it is a vague notice, which is attributable to a patent non application of mind on the part of the Assessing authority. Further, it held that the Assessing Officer had made additions under Section 69 of the Act being undisclosed investment. In the appeal, the said finding was set-aside. But addition was sustained on a new ground, that is under valuation of closing stock. Since the Assessing Au ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X ..... there is no mention whether the proceedings are for furnishing inaccurate particulars or concealing particulars of income, that will not vitiate the penalty proceedings. In the present case there is no whisper in the order of assessment on this aspect. We have pointed out this aspect in the earlier part of this order. Hence, this decision will not be of any assistance to the plea of the revenue before us. Even otherwise this decision does not follow the ratio laid down by the Hon ble Karnataka High Court in the case of Manjunatha Cotton Ginning (supra) in as much as the ratio laid down in the said case was only with reference to show cause notice u/s.274 of the Act. The Hon ble Court did not lay down a proposition that the defect in the show cause notice will stand cured if the intention of the charge u/s.271(1) (c ) is discernible from a reading of the Assessment order in which the penalty was initiated. 14. From the aforesaid discussion it can be seen that the line of reasoning of the Hon ble Bombay High Court and the Hon ble Patna High Court is that issuance of notice is an administrative device for informing the assessee about the proposal to levy penalty in order to ..... X X X X Extracts X X X X X X X X Extracts X X X X
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