Principal Commissioner Of Income Tax I vs. Gurumukh Rijhwani
What did the High Court hold?
The High Court held that the appeals filed by the Principal Commissioner of Income Tax-I, Indore, were not maintainable and disposed of them accordingly. The Court noted that the tax effect in all the appeals did not exceed the monetary limit of Rs. 20,00,000/- prescribed by the CBDT Circular dated 10/12/2015 for filing appeals before the High Court. The Court also observed that the present cases did not fall under the exceptions mentioned in paragraph 8 of the Circular, which would warrant contesting appeals on merits despite a low tax effect. These exceptions included challenges to constitutional validity, Board's orders being held illegal, revenue audit objections accepted by the Department, or additions relating to undisclosed foreign assets/bank accounts. Since none of these exceptional circumstances were present, the appeals were disposed of in light of the Circular. No order as to costs was made.
What were the facts?
The Principal Commissioner of Income Tax-I, Indore, filed multiple appeals before the High Court of Madhya Pradesh, Bench at Indore, against orders passed by the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal. These appeals concerned various assessees, including Kailash Rijhwani, Gurumukh Rijhwani, Kheraj Rijhwani, Monica Galaxy Pvt. Ltd., and Keshav Rijhwani, for assessment year 2002-2003. The appeals were heard analogously due to the similarity in controversy. The appellant's counsel argued that the appeals should not have been filed due to the low monetary value of the tax effect involved, citing a CBDT Circular dated 10/12/2015.
What were the issues?
1. Whether the appeals filed by the Revenue are maintainable before the High Court, considering the monetary limits prescribed by the CBDT Circular dated 10/12/2015, and if the tax effect in these cases falls below the stipulated limit of Rs. 20,00,000/- for High Court appeals. Assessee's Contention: The assessee, through its counsel, argued that the appeals should not have been filed by the Department as the monetary tax effect in each case is less than Rs. 20,00,000/-, as per the CBDT Circular dated 10/12/2015. The tax effect in one case was even NIL. Revenue's Contention: The judgment does not record any specific contention from the Revenue regarding the merits of the case or why the appeals were filed despite the low tax effect, other than the implicit filing of the appeals themselves.
Which sections of the Income-tax Act were involved?
AI-generated summary — verify with the full judgment below
--- 1 --- HIGH COURT OF MADHYA PRADESH : BENCH AT INDORE D.B.: HON'BLE MR. S. C. SHARMA AND HON'BLE MR. ALOK VERMA, JJ INCOME TAX APPEAL No. 119 / 2016 PRINCIPAL COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX-I, INDORE Vs. KAILASH RIJHWANI INCOME TAX APPEAL No. 120 / 2016 PRINCIPAL COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX-I, INDORE Vs. KAILASH RIJHWANI INCOME TAX APPEAL No. 121 / 2016 PRINCIPAL COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX-I, INDORE Vs. KAILASH RIJHWANI INCOME TAX APPEAL No. 122 / 2016 PRINCIPAL COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX-I, INDORE Vs. KAILASH RIJHWANI INCOME TAX APPEAL No. 123 / 2016 PRINCIPAL COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX-I, INDORE Vs. GURUMUKH RIJHWANI --- 2 --- INCOME TAX APPEAL No. 124 / 2016 PRINCIPAL COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX-I, INDORE Vs. GURUMUKH RIJHWANI INCOME TAX APPEAL No. 125 / 2016 PRINCIPAL COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX-I, INDORE Vs. GURUMUKH RIJHWANI INCOME TAX APPEAL No. 126 / 2016 PRINCIPAL COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX-I, INDORE Vs. KHERAJ RIJHWANI INCOME TAX APPEAL No. 127 / 2016 PRINCIPAL COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX-I, INDORE Vs. KHERAJ RIJHWANI INCOME TAX APPEAL No. 129 / 2016 PRINCIPAL COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX-I, INDORE Vs. KHERAJ RIJHWANI INCOME TAX APPEAL No. 135 / 2016 PRINCIPAL COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX-I, INDORE Vs. MONICA GALAXY PVT. LTD., --- 3 --- INCOME TAX APPEAL No. 136 / 2016 PRINCIPAL COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX-I, INDORE Vs. KESHAV RIJHWANI INCOME TAX APPEAL No. 137 / 2016 PRINCIPAL COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX-I, INDORE Vs. MONICA GALAXY PVT. LTD., INCOME TAX APPEAL No. 138 / 2016 PRINCIPAL COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX-I, INDORE Vs. MONICA GALAXY PVT. LTD., A N D INCOME TAX APPEAL No. 139 / 2016 PRINCIPAL COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX-I, INDORE Vs. MONICA GALAXY PVT. LTD., * * * * * O R D E R (04/10/2017) PER : S. C. SHARMA, J :- Regard being had to the similitude in the controversy involved in the present cases, the writ petitions were analogously heard and by a common order, they are being --- 4 --- disposed of by this Court. Facts of I.T.A.No. 119/2016 are narrated hereunder. 2. The present appeal has been filed u/S. 260 the Income Tax Act, 1961 against the order dated 19/5/2016 passed by the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, Indore in ITA. No. 81/Ind/14 for the assessment year 2002 – 2003. 3. At the outset, Mr. Sumit Nema, learned senior counsel for the appellant has argued before this Court that in the present appeal as well as in the connected appeals, monetary values is less than Rs.20.00 lacs and, therefore, in the light of the Circular dated 10/12/2016, no appeal should have been filed by the Department. 4. This Court has carefully gone through the record of the case and in the present case, the monetary tax effect involved is Rs.19,120/-. In the present case and in other connected identical matters which are being disposed by this common order, the tax effect involved is as under : CASE No. NAME OF THE PARTIES TAX EFFECT IN Rs. I.T.A.No.119/2016 Principal Commissioner of Commissioner Tax-I, Indore Vs. Kailash Rijhwani Rs. 19,120/- I.T.A.No.120/2016 Principal Commissioner of Commissioner Tax-I, Indore Vs. Kailash Rijhwani Rs.23,258/- I.T.A.No.121/2016 Principal Commissioner of Commissioner Tax-I, Indore Vs.Kailash Rs.14,561/- --- 5 --- Rijhwani I.T.A.No.122/2016 Principal Commissioner of Commissioner Tax-I, Indore Vs.Kailash Rijhwani Rs.15,933/- I.T.A.No.123/2016 Principal Commissioner of Commissioner Tax-I, Indore Vs. Gurumukh Rijhwani Rs.86,610/- I.T.A.No.124/2016 Principal Commissioner of Commissioner Tax-I, Indore Vs. Gurumukh Rijhwani Rs.16,140/- I.T.A.No.125/2016 Principal Commissioner of Commissioner Tax-I, Indore Vs.Gurumukh Rijhwani Rs.38,628/- I.T.A.No.126/2016 Principal Commissioner of Commissioner Tax-I, Indore Vs. Kheraj Rijhwani Rs.19,517/- I.T.A.No.127/2016 Principal Commissioner of Commissioner Tax-I, Indore Vs.Kheraj Rijhwani Rs.54,713/- I.T.A.No.129/2016 Principal Commissioner of Commissioner Tax-I, Indore Vs.Kheraj Rijhwani Rs.34,432/- I.T.A.No.135/2016 Principal Commissioner of Commissioner Tax-I, Indore Vs. Monica Galaxy Pvt. Ltd., NIL I.T.A.No.136/2016 Principal Commissioner of Commissioner Tax-I, Indore Vs. Keshav Rijhwani Rs.6,24,645/- I.T.A.No.137/2016 Principal Commissioner of Commissioner Tax-I, Indore Vs. Monica Galaxy Pvt. Ltd., Rs.1,38,646/- I.T.A.No.138/2016 Principal Commissioner of Commissioner Tax-I, Indore Vs.Monica Galaxy Pvt. Ltd., Rs.4,68,577/- I.T.A.No.139/2016 Principal Commissioner of Commissioner Tax-I, Indore Vs.Monica Galaxy Pvt. Ltd., Rs.9,72,867/- 5. Thus, in all the aforesaid cases, the tax effect is not exceeding the limit prescribed by the CBDT Circular dated 10/12/2015 ie., Rs.20.00 lacs. In one case the tax effect is NIL also. Paragraphs 3, 4 and 8 of the Circular issued by the Department reads as under : 3. Henceforth, appeals/ SLP shall not be filed in cases where the tax effect does not exceed the monetary limits given hereunder: S.No. Appeals in Income tax matters Monetary Limit (in Rs.) 1 Before Appellate Tribunal 10,00,000/- 2 Before High Court 20,00,000/- 3 Before Supreme Cout 25,00,000/- It is clarified that an appeal should not be filed merely because the tax effect in a case exceeds the monetary limits prescribed above. Filing of papel in such cases is to be decided on merits of the case. 4. For this purpose, "tax effect" means the difference between the tx on the total income assessed and the tax that would have been chargeable had such total income been reduced by the amount of income in respect of --- 6 --- the issues against which appeal is intended to be filed (hereinfter referred to as "disputed issues"). However, the tax will not include any interest thereon, except where chargeability of interest itself is in dispute. In case the chargeability of interest is the issue under dispute, the amount of interest shall be the tax effect. In cases where returned loss is reduced or assessed as income, the tax effect would include notional tax on disputed additions. In case of penalty orders, the tax effect will mean quantum of penalty deleted or reduced in the order to be appealed against. 8. Adverse judgments relating to the following issues should be contested on merits notwithstanding that the tax effect entailed is less than the monetary limits specified in para 3 above or there is no tax effect : (a) Where the Constitutional validity or the provisions of an Act or Rule are under challenge, or (b) Where Board's order, Notification, Instruction or Circular has been held to be illegal or ultra vires, or (c) Where Revenue Audit Objection in the case has been accepted by the Department, or (d) Where the addition relates to undisclosed foreign assets/ bank accounts. 6. The present cases are not the cases where constitutional validity of any provision or Act is involved nor any Notification, instructions or Circular has been declared as ultra vires and the other contingencies, as provided in paragraph 8 of the Circular dt. 10/12/2015 are also not attracted and, therefore, keeping in view the Circular dt. 10/12/2015, the present appeal and other connected appeals stand disposed of. No order as to costs. (S. C. SHARMA) J U D G E (ALOK VERMA) J U D G E KR
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