M/S. POOTHUNDU PLANTATIONS PVT. LTD. vs. AGRICULTURAL INCOME TAX OFFICER, CHITTOOR, KERALA STATE AND ORS.

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CIVIL APPEAL No. 9168/1996Supreme Court1996 INSC 73515 July 1996Bench: 2 JudgesAuthor: B.P. JEEVAN REDDY, S.C. SEN POOTHUNDU PLANTATIONS PVT. LTD.5 pages
AI SummaryAllowed

What did the Supreme Court hold?

The Supreme Court held that only an apparent error of fact or law can be rectified under Section 36 of the Kerala Agricultural Income Tax Act, 1950. If a mistake of law requires construing the words of a section to find its proper meaning, it is not normally a rectifiable error. If two views are possible, the error is not apparent. While a decision contrary to a Supreme Court interpretation of a section is an error apparent, Section 24 of the Indian Income Tax Act, 1922, and Section 12 of the Kerala Agricultural Income Tax Act are not identically worded. The Court found considerable force in the assessee's contention that the Supreme Court's judgment on Section 24 of the Indian Act could not be straightaway applied to interpret Section 12 of the Kerala Act, as the scope and content of the two sections are materially different. Therefore, any alleged error was not an error apparent on the record. The appeal was allowed, setting aside the High Court's judgment and the rectification order.

What were the facts?

The assessee, M/s. Poothundu Plantations Pvt. Ltd., was assessed under the Kerala Agricultural Income Tax Act, 1950. An Agricultural Income Tax Officer later sought to rectify the predecessor's assessment order under Section 36 of the Act. The rectification was based on the ground that the predecessor had committed an apparent error of law by misinterpreting Section 12 of the Kerala Act, allegedly in light of the Supreme Court's interpretation of Section 24 of the Indian Income Tax Act, 1922. The High Court ruled against the assessee, who then appealed to the Supreme Court. The amount in dispute is not explicitly stated.

What were the issues?

1. Whether an error of law, requiring construction of the words of a section to ascertain its proper meaning, is a rectifiable mistake under Section 36 of the Kerala Agricultural Income Tax Act, 1950? The assessee contended that if a mistake requires extensive reasoning to establish, it is not an 'apparent' mistake. The revenue argued that the predecessor's order was erroneous in light of Supreme Court judgments. 2. Whether Section 12 of the Kerala Agricultural Income Tax Act, 1950, should be interpreted in the same manner as Section 24 of the Indian Income Tax Act, 1922, given that the Supreme Court had interpreted the latter? The assessee argued that the two sections are not identically worded and the Supreme Court's ruling on Section 24 of the Indian Act cannot be directly applied to Section 12 of the Kerala Act. The revenue relied on the Supreme Court's decision in Anglo-French Textile Company Ltd. v. Commissioner of Income Tax, Madras.

Which sections of the Income-tax Act were involved?

Section 36,Section 12,Section 24

AI-generated summary — verify with the full judgment below

MiS. POOTHUNDU PLANTATIONS PVT. LTD. v. AGRICULTURAL INCOME TAX OFFICER, CHITTOOR, KERALA STATE AND ORS. JULY 15, 1996 [B.P. JEEVAN REDDY AND SUHAS C. SEN, JJ.] Kerala Agiicultural Income Tax Act 1950/lndian Income-tax Ace; 1922 A B c Ss. 12, 36/s.24-Rectificatio11 of mistake-Held, only an apparent en-or of fact or law ca11 be rectified-Mistake pwp01ted to have occwred by construing the words of a section, cannot nonnally, be a rectifiable en·or u/s. 36-Constming the meaning of a section contrmy to the meaning given by Supreme Cowt is an en-or apparent on the record-Section 12 of Kera/a Act and S. 24 of Central Act are not identi~al and the judginent of Supreme Court D inte1preting s. 24 of Central Act cannot be applied straightaway to inte1pret s. 12 of Kera/a Act. Tbe appellant-assessee was assessed under the Kerala Agricultural Income Tax Act. Later another Agricultural Income Tax Officer, exercising E the power under s. 36 of the Act, rectified the order passed by his predeces- sor on the ground that in view of the interpretation of s. 24 of Indian Income Tax Act, 1922, given by this Court*, his predecessor wrongly construed the provisions of s. 12 of the Act and thereby committed an apparent error of law in computation of agricultural income tax. The High Court also decided against the assessee. Aggrieved the assessee filed the appeal. Allowing the appeal, this Court F HELD : 1. Only an apparent error of fact or law can be rectified by G an officer exercising the power under s. 36 of the Kerala Agricultural Income Tax Act, 1950. JI' the mistake of law has to be established by consiruing"the words of a section to find its proper meaning, then such an error cannot norn1ally be a rectifiable error under s.

36.

If two views are possible, then obviously the error will not be an error apparent from the record. (569-F] H 567

568 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1996] SUPP. 3S.C.R. A 2.1. ff the Supreme Court has construed the meaning of a section, then any decision to the contrary given by any other authority must be held to be erroneous and such error mu!'lt be treated as an error apparent on the record. [569-G]

2.2.

Section 24 of Indian lucome Tax Act, 1922 and Section 12 of the B Kerala Agricultural Income Tax Act are not identically worded. Even if it can be established by a long process of reasoning that the meaning of the two sections is the same, the alleged mistake committed by the Agricultural Income Tax Officer cannot be treated as a mistake apparent on the record. C ff any error had at all been committed by the Agricultural Income Tax Officer, it was not an error apparent on the record. The judgment of the Supreme Court explaining the provision of Section 24 of the Indian Income Tax Act, 1922 cannot be applied straightaway to interpret Section 12 of the Kerala Agricultural Income Tax Act. [570-D; 571-B] D Anglo-French Textile Company Ltd. v. Commissioner of Income Tax, Madras, (1953) 23 ITR 82, held inapplicable.

3.

The judgment and order passed by the High Court and the order of rectification passed by the Assistant Appellate Commissioner are set E aside. [571-D] CIVIL APPELLATE JURI ICTION: Civil Appeal No. 9168 of 1996. From the Judgment and Order dated 8.10.93 of the Kerala High F Court in O.P. No. 8575 of 1984-J. Joseph Vellappally and M.P. Vinod for the Appellant. G. Prakash for the Respondents. G The Judgment of the Court was delivered by SEN, J. Leave granted. This case arises out of an order of rectification of mistake apparent on the face of record under Section 36 of the Kerala Agricultural Income H Tax Act. The Section, as it stood at the material time, was as under :

POOTHUNDU PLANTATIONS PVT. LTD. v. AGRJCUL1URALJNCOMETAXOFPICER[SEN, J.j . 569 "

36.

Rectification of mistake : (1) The authority which passed an A order on appeal or revision may at any time within three years from the date of such order passed by him on appeal or i.n revision, and the Agricultural Income Tax Officer may at any time within three years from the date of any assessment or refund order passed by him, of his own motion, rectify any mistake apparent from the record of the appeal, revision, assessment or refund, as the case may be, and shall within the like period rectify any such mistake which has been brought to his notice by an assessee : The short question in this case is whether an Agricultural Income Tax Officer can rectify the order passed by his predecessor in office, on the ground that the assessment order was passed by wrongly construing Section 12 of the Kerala Agricultural Income Tax Act. Section 12 before its amendment stood as under :

"

12.

Ca11ying f01ward of loss : where any person sustains a loss in agricultural income in any year the Joss shall be carried forward to the following year and set off against the agricultural income for-that year and if it cannot be wholly so set off, the amount of loss not so set off, shall be carried forward to the following year and so on, but no loss shall be carried forward for more than six years." There can be no doubt that only an apparent error of fact or law can B c D E be rectified by an officer. If the mistake of law has to be established by construing the words of a section to find its proper meaning, then such an F error cannot normally be a rectifiable error under Section 36. If two views are possible, then obviously the error will not be an error apparent from the record. It is, however, well-settled that if the Supreme Court has construed G the meaning of a section, then any decision to the contrary given by any other authority must be held to be erroneous and such error must be treated as an error apparent on the record. In the instant case, on the strength of the decisions of this Court in ·the case of Anglo-French Textile Company Ltd. v. Commissioner of Income H

570 SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1996] SUPP. 3 S.C.R. A Tax Madras, (1953) 23 !TR 82, the Assistant Appellate Commissioner took the view that his predecessor had committed an apparent error of law in allowing carry forward of losses in the computation of agricultural income tax under the Kerala Agricultural Income Tax Act. The question is whether Section 12 of the Kerala Agricultural Income Tax Act must be interpreted B in the manner in which this Court has interpreted Section 24 of the Indian Income Tax Act. This is not an easy question to answer. In fact, the learned Single Judge before whom this question was raised in the writ petition before the Kerala High Court referred the question to a larger Bench for decision. This very fact goes to show that this was not a rectifiable.error apparent on the record of the case. The learned Single Judge of the Kerala C High Court felt that the question should be examined by a larger Bench. Moreover, Section 24 of the Indian Income Tax Act and Section 12 of the Kerala agricultural Income Tax Act are not identically worded. Even if it can be established by a long process of reasoning that the ll)eaning of D the two sections is the same, the alleged mistake committed by the Agricul- tural Income Tax Officer cannot be treated as a mistake apparent on the record. Section 24 of the Indian Income Tax Act, 1922 provided for setting off of losses incurred under one head against income computed under any E other head. Under Section 6 of the Indian Income Tax Act, income had to be computed undcr·various heads. If an assessee incurred loss under one head, he was entitled to set it off against income computed under any other head. If the entire loss could not be set off in any year, the balance, if any, had to be carried forward to the next year. It was held by this Court in the F case of A11glo-Fre11ch Textile Company Ltd. (supra) that before any question of set off could arise, there must be (1) a loss under one or more of the heads mentioned in Section 6 and (2) income, profit or gain _under some other head. The case of the assessee before us in that the ratio of this judgment G cannot possibly apply to the Kerala Act on the ground that the Kerala Act was concerned with only one head of income (agricultural income). Here, there is no question of setting off of any loss. arising out of any head against any in'come under another head. The scope of the two Acts and the content of the two sections are materially different. The judgment of the Supreme H Court rendered under the provisions of the Indian Income Tax Act, 1922

POOTHUNDU PLA!\'TATIONS PVT. LTD., .. AGRICUL1URAL INCOME TAX OFFICER [SEN, J.J 571 could not straightaway be applied to an assessment made under Kerala A Agricultural Income Tax Act. We are of the view that there is considerable force in the contention of the assessee. If any error had al all been committed by the Agricultural Income Tax Officer, it was not an error apparent on the record. The judgment of the Supreme Court explaining the provision of Section 24 of B the India Income Tax Act, 1922 cannot be applied straightaway to interpret Section 12 of the Kerala Agricultural Income Tax Act. lt is not necessary for us in this case to examine Section 12 in depth to decide the question whether it will have to be given the same meaning as was given to Section 24 of the Indian Income Tax Act, 1922 in the case of Anglo-French Textile C Company Ltd. (supra), but suffice it to say for this case that it is not an error of law apparent on the record. In that view of the matter, the appeal is allowed. The judgment and order passed by the High Court of Kerala dated 8.10.1993 is set aside. The impugned order of rectification passed by the Assistant Appellate Com- D missioner, pursuant to the notice dated 4th August, 1984 under Kerala Agricultural Income Tax Act, is also set aside. There will be no order as to costs. R.P. Appeal allowed. E

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