High Court Madras High Court

Commissioner Of Income-Tax vs Grand Bazar on 26 March, 1990

Madras High Court
Commissioner Of Income-Tax vs Grand Bazar on 26 March, 1990
Author: Ratnam
Bench: T Somasundaram, V Ratnam


JUDGMENT

Ratnam, J.

1. In these tax case petitions under section 256(2) of the Income-tax Act, 1961, at the instance of the Revenue, a direction is sought to refer the following questions of law for the opinion of this court.

2. For the assessment years 1981-82 and 1982-83 :

“1. Whether, on the facts and in the circumstances of the case, the Appellate Tribunal is right in law holding that the Commissioner was not correct in directing the Income-tax Officer to add the entire cash credit as undisclosed income under section 68 of the Income-tax Act, 1961 ?

2. Whether the Appellate Tribunal’s order deleting the Commissioner’s direction to add the entire cash credit is supported by valid materials, reasonable and sustainable in law ?”

3. For the assessment year 1984-85 :

“1. Whether, on the facts and in the circumstances of the case, the Appellate Tribunal is right in law in setting aside the assessment regarding the addition in respect of unexplained cash credits determined by the Commissioner of Income-tax (Appeals) ?

2. Whether the Appellate Tribunal’s order setting aside the assessment and restoring the matter to the Income-tax Officer is supported by valid materials, reasonable and sustainable in law ?”

4. In course of the order of the Administrative Commissioner, the Income-tax Officer was directed to consider and treat the entire cash credits appearing in the books of account for the assessments years 1981-82 and 1982-83 as the undisclosed income of the assessee under section 68 of the Income-tax Act. However, the Tribunal felt that the entire matter should be investigated in greater depth and details and, in that view, while upholding the order of the Administrative Commissioner that the entire cash credits should be added, will stand deleted for each one of the assessment years. The Tribunal has observed that, as the assessments will have to be redone, the final shape that would emerge would depend upon the ultimate result of the investigation and at this stage, particular amounts could not be directed to be included as income represented by the cash credits. In the concluding portion of order of the Tribunal, the Tribunal observed that the proper order to be passed is to set aside the orders of the authorities below and restore the matter to the file of the Income-tax Officer for de novo making an assessment in each case in accordance with law after a complete investigation bearing in mind the directions given by the Administrative Commissioner regarding specific aspects. We understand this order as stating that the entire matter is at large before the Income-tax Officer and that in the course of the de novo proceedings, it would be open to him to examine all the aspects including the applicability of section 68 of the Income-tax Act to the cash credits in question. We find, on a careful consideration of the matter, that there is absolutely no prejudice caused to the Revenue by the course directed to be adopted by the Tribunal, as all aspects relating to the assessments could be taken care of in the remitted proceedings. We, therefore, dismiss these tax case petitions. No costs.