PRINCIPAL COMMISSIONER OF IN vs. M/S.AARTHI MAHESH JAIN

PDF · subscribers
TCA/481/2020HC Madras04 January 2021Bench: Hon`ble Mr Justice T.S.SIVAGNANAM4 pages
AI SummaryDismissed

What did the High Court hold?

The High Court dismissed the appeal filed by the Revenue. The dismissal was based on the submission made by the learned Standing Counsel for the Revenue that the appeal was not being pursued due to a low tax effect, falling below the threshold limit stipulated in CBDT Circular No. 17/2019, which increased the monetary limit for appeals before the High Court to Rs. 1 Crore. Consequently, the substantial questions of law raised by the Revenue were left open. The Court granted liberty to the Revenue to file a petition for restoration of the appeal if the tax effect was found to be above the threshold limit, allowing it to be heard and decided on merits. No decision was made on the merits of the substantial questions of law.

What were the facts?

The Revenue, specifically the Principal Commissioner of Income Tax, Non Corporate Ward 9(1), Chennai, filed an appeal under Section 260A of the Income Tax Act, 1961, against an order dated February 28, 2020, passed by the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT), Chennai, 'A' Bench. This order was in relation to Income Tax Appeal No. 1167/Chny/2019 for the assessment year 2013-14. The appeal was filed challenging the Tribunal's decision to set aside the Assessing Officer's order and remit the issue back to the Assessing Officer for further examination. The amount in dispute is not explicitly stated, but the appeal was not pursued by the Revenue due to low tax effect.

What were the issues?

The Tribunal had to decide three substantial questions of law raised by the Revenue: 1. Whether the Tribunal was justified in setting aside the Assessing Officer's order to re-examine the matter, given that the Assessing Officer had already duly examined it before passing the assessment order. 2. Whether the Tribunal was justified in not dismissing the assessee's appeal, as was done in similar cases (Smt. Rekha Jain and Harish Kumar HUF) by other ITAT benches, when the facts were allegedly exactly similar. 3. Whether the Tribunal was justified in remitting the issue back to the Assessing Officer, shifting the onus to the Revenue to bring on record the assessee's role in promoting the company, relationship with promoters, and role in inflating share prices. The Revenue argued that the Assessing Officer had already conducted a thorough examination. They also contended that the Tribunal should have followed precedents from other benches in similar cases. The Revenue's primary submission for not pursuing the appeal was based on CBDT Circular No. 17/2019 regarding low tax effect.

Which sections of the Income-tax Act were involved?

Section 260A

AI-generated summary — verify with the full judgment below

Heard together (3 matters)

I.T.A.No.1167/Chny/2019
ITA.No.827/ Chny/2019
ITA.No.3009/Chny/2018

Read from the judgment's own cause title. This page is filed under one of them.

TCA.No.481 of 2020 IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS DATED : 04.1.2021 CORAM THE HONOURABLE MR.JUSTICE T.S.SIVAGNANAM and THE HONOURABLE MS.JUSTICE R.N.MANJULA Tax Case Appeal No.481 of 2020

The Principal Commissioner of Income Tax, Non Corporate Ward 9(1), Chennai-34 ...Appellant Vs M/s.Aarthi Mahesh Jain ...Respondent APPEAL under Section 260A of the Income Tax Act, 1961 against the order dated 28.2.2020 passed by the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, Madras 'A' Bench, Chennai made in I.T.A.No.1167/Chny/2019 for the assessment year 2013-14. For Appellant: Mr.Karthik Ranganathan, SC assisted by Mr.S.Rajesh, JSC Judgment was delivered by

T.S.SIVAGNANAM

This appeal has been filed by the assessee under Section 260A of the Income Tax Act, 1961 ('the Act' for brevity) challenging the order 1/4 https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis/ TCA.No.481 of 2020 dated 28.2.2020 made in I.T.A.No.1167/Chny/2019 on the file of the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, Chennai, 'A' Bench ('the Tribunal' for brevity) for the assessment year 2013-14. 2. The Revenue has filed this appeal by raising the following substantial questions of law: “1. Whether on the facts and circumstances of the case and in law, the Tribunal was right and justified in setting aside the order passed by the Assessing Officer to reexamine the matter when the Assessing Officer has already duly examined the matter before passing the assessment order ? 2. Whether on the facts and circumstances of the case and in law, the Tribunal was right and justified in not dismissing the appeal of the assessee as done by the ITAT 'A' Bench, Chennai in ITA.No.827/ Chny/2019 dated 11.6.2019 in the case of Smt.Rekha Jain and by the ITAT 'C' Bench, Chennai in ITA.No.3009/Chny/2018 in the case of Harish Kumar HUF, when the facts and circumstances of those cases are exactly similar to the present case ? And 3. Whether on the facts and circumstances of the case and in law, the 2/4 https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis/ TCA.No.481 of 2020 Tribunal was right and justified in remitting the issue back to the file of the Assessing Officer and shifting the onus to the Revenue with a direction that the Assessing Officer shall bring on record the role of the assessee in promoting the company and the relationship of the assessee, if any with the promoters, role of the assessee in inflating the prices of shares, etc.?” 3. We have heard Mr.Karthik Ranganathan, learned Standing Counsel appearing for the appellant/Revenue. 4. The learned Standing Counsel for the appellant submits that the above appeal is not pursued by the Revenue on account of the low tax effect in terms of Circular No.17/2019 dated 08.8.2019 issued by the Central Board of Direct Taxes. By the said Circular, the monetary limit for filing or pursuing an appeal before the High Court has been increased to Rs.1 Crore. It is further submitted that the tax effect in this case is less than the threshold limit. 5. In the light of the said submissions, the above tax case appeal is dismissed on account of the low tax effect. The substantial questions 3/4 https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis/ TCA.No.481 of 2020 T.S.SIVAGNANAM,J AND R.N.MANJULA,J RS of law raised are left open. In the event the tax effect is above the threshold limit fixed in the said circular, liberty is granted to the Revenue to file a petition before this Court to restore the appeal to be heard and decided on merits. 04.1.2021 To The Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, 'A' Bench, Chennai. TCA.No.481 of 2020 4/4 https://www.mhc.tn.gov.in/judis/

Recent GST High Court judgments

Search GST case law →