BALAJEE WEDDING AND EVENTZ PVT. LTD. vs. ASSISSTANT COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX CENTAL CIRCLE-28 DELHI & ANR.

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W.P.(C)/3454/2024HC DelhiDLHC01011490202421 May 2024Bench: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE YASHWANT VARMA,HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE PURUSHAINDRA KUMAR KAURAV3 pages
AI SummaryPartly Allowed

What did the High Court hold?

The Delhi High Court allowed the writ petition and quashed the impugned notice dated June 16, 2023, issued under Section 153C of the Act for AY 2015-16. The Court relied on its previous judgment in Principal Commissioner of Income Tax Central – 1 vs. Ojjus Medicare Pvt. Ltd. The reasoning was that the satisfaction note dated June 24, 2022, indicated that the income alleged to have escaped assessment for the relevant AY did not exceed INR 50 lakhs, failing to meet the threshold requirement of the Fourth Proviso to Section 153A. The Court clarified that while the precondition of INR 50 lakhs is a sine qua non for initiating action for an extended ten-year block, this condition is satisfied if the escaped income cumulatively or in aggregate meets the minimum benchmark. The Court left it open for the jurisdictional AO to examine the issue afresh and, if of the opinion that escaped income is likely to exceed INR 50 lakhs, to draw proceedings afresh if otherwise permissible in law.

What were the facts?

The petitioner, Balajee Wedding and Eventz Pvt. Ltd., filed a writ petition challenging notices dated June 16, 2023, issued under Section 153C of the Income Tax Act, 1961, for Assessment Year (AY) 2015-16. The challenge also extended to all consequential proceedings. The core of the dispute revolves around the satisfaction note recorded by the Assessing Officer (AO) of the searched person, which was dated June 24, 2022. The petitioner contended that the income alleged to have escaped assessment for the relevant AY did not meet the threshold requirement prescribed by the Fourth Proviso to Section 153A of the Act.

What were the issues?

1. Whether the impugned notices issued under Section 153C of the Income Tax Act, 1961, for AY 2015-16 are valid, considering the satisfaction note dated June 24, 2022, and the threshold requirement of INR 50 lakhs prescribed by the Fourth Proviso to Section 153A. Assessee's Contention: The petitioner argued that the income alleged to have escaped assessment for the relevant AY did not exceed INR 50 lakhs, thus failing to meet the threshold requirement of the Fourth Proviso to Section 153A, rendering the notices invalid. Revenue's Contention: No specific arguments for the revenue were recorded in the judgment.

Which sections of the Income-tax Act were involved?

Section 153C,Section 153A

AI-generated summary — verify with the full judgment below

$~42 * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI + W.P.(C) 3454/2024 & CM APPL. 14056/2024 (Stay)

BALAJEE WEDDING AND EVENTZ PVT. LTD. ..... Petitioner Through: Mr. Ruchesh Sinha and Ms. Monalisa Maity, Advocates.

versus

ASSISSTANT COMMISSIONER OF INCOME TAX CENTAL CIRCLE-28 DELHI & ANR. ..... Respondents Through: Mr. Gaurav Gupta, SSC with Mr. Shivendra Singh and Mr. Yojit Pareek, JSC and Mr. Namit Gupta, Advocate.

CORAM:

HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE YASHWANT VARMA

HON'BLE MS. JUSTICE TARA VITASTA GANJU

O R D E R %

21.05.2024

1.

This writ petition has been preferred against the impugned notices dated 16 June 2023 issued under Section 153C of the Income Tax Act, 1961 [“Act”] for Assessment Year [“AY”] 2015-16 and all consequential proceedings. 2. Bearing in mind the undisputed fact that the Satisfaction Note recorded by the Assessing Officer [“AO”] of the searched person was dated 24 June 2022, it is ex facie evident that the income which is alleged to have escaped assessment for the “relevant assessment year” does not exceed INR 50 lakhs, thereby not fulfilling the threshold requirement as prescribed by the Fourth Proviso to Section 153A. 3. The issue in any case stands answered and covered in favour of the This is a digitally signed order. The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 27/05/2024 at 12:57:38

writ petitioner in light of the judgment rendered in Principal Commissioner of Income Tax Central – 1 vs. Ojjus Medicare Pvt. Ltd [2024 SCC Online Del 2439]. The relevant paragraphs of the aforesaid decision read as under:- ““G. Insofar as the thresholds put in place by virtue of the Fourth Proviso to Section 153A are concerned and the argument of the writ petitioners of the condition of INR 50 lakhs being an unwavering precondition, we find ourselves unable to sustain that submission bearing in mind the indubitable fact that proceedings for search assessment commence upon the issuance of a notice and the AO at that stage having really not had the occasion to undertake a detailed or in depth examination of the evidence collected or come to a definitive opinion with respect to the total income which may have escaped assessment. Since the computation and assessment of income that is likely to have escaped assessment would at this stage be provisional, it would be incorrect to strike down initiation of action on a mere ex facie examination of the Satisfaction Note. We also in this regard bear in mind the Fourth Proviso using the expression “amounts to or is likely to amount”. The usage of the phrase “likely to” is indicative of the Legislature being conscious of the provisional character of the opinion that the AO may have formed at that stage.

H. However, and at the same time, even if the identified asset at that stage be quantified as less than INR 50 lakhs, the AO must for reasons to be duly recorded, be of the opinion that the ultimate computation of escaped income is likely to exceed INR 50 lakhs. The aforesaid satisfaction would have to be based on an assessment of the material gathered and the potentiality of the same being indicative of the escaped assessment exceeding INR 50 lakhs. The formation of opinion in this respect would have to be based not on mere ipse dixit but reflective of a fair assessment of the quantum of income likely to have escaped assessment as distinct from mere speculation and conjecture.

I. We further hold that since the precondition of INR 50 lakhs or more constitutes a sine qua non for initiating action for the extended ten year block, the aforesaid satisfaction and the reasons in support thereof would have to borne out from the Satisfaction Note itself. We are also of the opinion that the precondition of INR 50 lakhs is not liable to be viewed as being the qualifying criteria for each “relevant assessment year” that may be thrown open and that the said condition would stand satisfied if the escaped income cumulatively or in the aggregate meets the minimum benchmark of INR 50 lakhs.” This is a digitally signed order. The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 27/05/2024 at 12:57:38

4.

Accordingly, and for reasons assigned in our decision in Ojjus Medicare Private Limited, while we allow the instant writ petition and quash the impugned notice issued under Section 153C of the Act dated 16 June 2023 insofar as it relates to AY 2015-16, we leave it open to the jurisdictional AO to examine the issue afresh bearing in mind the observations appearing in para 3 above. 5. In case the jurisdictional AO be of the opinion that the income alleged to have escaped assessment is likely to exceed INR 50 lakhs in the “relevant assessment year”, it would be open to it to draw proceedings afresh, if otherwise permissible in law.

YASHWANT VARMA, J

TARA VITASTA GANJU, J MAY 21, 2024/ RW

This is a digitally signed order. The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Order is downloaded from the DHC Server on 27/05/2024 at 12:57:38

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