Facts
The assessee, Krypton Distributors LLP, filed its return for AY 2013-14. The case was reopened due to information alleging bogus unsecured loans of ₹80 lacs from Startrack Vinimay Pvt. Ltd. Both the Assessing Officer (AO) and the Ld. CIT(A) made/upheld the addition under Section 68 of the Income Tax Act. The assessee claimed the ₹80 lacs were proceeds from the genuine sale of preference shares of M/s Easter (India) Chemicals Ltd., which had been purchased in earlier years and subsequently advanced as a loan to Sadhani Trading Company.
Held
The Tribunal, relying on various High Court and co-ordinate bench decisions, noted that the investment in shares had been accepted by the department in prior assessment years. It held that the transactions could not be doubted merely because the sale proceeds were later advanced as a loan. The Tribunal emphasized that retracted statements cannot be the sole basis for addition without corroborative evidence. The Tribunal set aside the Ld. CIT(A)'s order and directed the AO to delete the addition, including the 5% profit addition directed by the CIT(A) on sales consideration.
Key Issues
Whether the addition of ₹80 lacs under Section 68 for alleged bogus unsecured loans was justified when the assessee proved the funds originated from genuine share sales accepted in previous years, and whether additions can be based solely on retracted statements without corroborative evidence.
Sections Cited
139(1), 147, 148, 68, 143(3), 131, 132(1), 132(4), 133A
AI-generated summary — verify with the full judgment below
Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, “B” BENCH, KOLKATA
This is an appeal preferred by the assessee against the order of the National Faceless Appeal Centre, Delhi (hereinafter referred to as the “Ld. CIT(A)”] dated 05.06.2025 for the AY 2013-14.
At the time of hearing the assessee pressed ground no.3 with is extracted below:-
3. That on the facts and in the circumstances of the case the action of the CIT (A) upholding the action of the AO in making addition of ₹80,00,000/- u/s 68 of the Act, is contrary to the material evidences on record and the addition is erroneous, arbitrary, excessive and illegal.
2.2. In the appellate proceedings, the learned CIT (A) also confirmed the order of the learned AO on this issue by holding that the transactions entered into by the assessee with M/s Startrack Vinimay Pvt. ltd. and M/s Sadhani Trading Company are suspicious transactions and accordingly, upheld the order of the learned AO.
2.3. After hearing the rival contentions and perusing the materials available on record, we find that in this case the assessee purchased 40 lacs 2% non-speculative redeemable preference shares of M/s Easter (India) Chemicals Ltd. for a total consideration of ₹80 lacs in the earlier assessment years. During the year these shares were of M/s Easter (India) Chemicals Ltd.sold by the assessee to M/s Startrack Vinimay Pvt. ltd. for a consideration of ₹80 lacs which was received and credited in the bank account of the assessee. The assessee has also furnished a valuation report dated 11.07.2012, for determining the FMV of the preference shares. We note from the copy of the bank statement that the assessee received consideration “7. We have heard the rival contentions and perused the materials available on record including the written submissions dated 21.04.2025 and paper books No. 1 (page No. 1 to 357) ,paper book no. 2 (page No. 1 to 354 and paper book 3 (Case Laws). We find that the only dispute is sale of part unlisted equity shares to various parties thereby realizing total sales consideration of ₹11,56,20,000/-. We note that the assessee raised money by issue of equity shares in A.Y. 2008-09 of Rs. 64,85,49,000/- . We also note that entire funds raised were invested in unlisted equity shares in AY 2011-12. We note that the case of the assessee was selected for scrutiny only for this reason and the money raised by the assessee was accepted by the department and no adverse interference was drawn. We note that in A.Y. 2010-11 also, the case of the assessee was selected for scrutiny and all the money share capital /share premium was accepted. Thereafter the investments were made in private equity shares which were unlisted in A.Y. 2011-12. Similarly 2017-18 the case of the assessee was selected for scrutiny and investments were not doubted at all. Thus it is clear that over all these years the investments were not doubted by the department. These investments made in the A.Y. 20111-12 were partly sold at cost by the assessee during the instant assessment year which realized ₹11,56,20,000/- which were accepted by the Revenue right from A.Y. 2011-12 till the instant assessment year. We have also noted that the assessee has filed before the ld. AO as well as before the ld. CIT (A) all the evidences qua the purchases and sale of shares. The assessee has filed all the evidences qua the purchasers such as ITRs, names, addresses, audited balance sheets, bank statements, confirmations, etc. proving the identity, creditworthiness of the purchasers and genuineness of the transactions. We note that even the purchasing companies have filed their evidences as called for by the ld. AO comprising all the evidences as stated above. The ld. CIT (A) has recorded a finding of fact that apart from the assessee , purchasing companies had also filed all the evidences before the ld. AO however the ld. AO had not brought on record any independent and substantive evidences pointing out any defect or deficiency in the said evidences. The ld. CIT (A) finally noted that the assessee has proved the identity and creditworthiness of the parties and also the genuineness of the transactions by filing all these documents and thus, discharged its initial burden. We observe that the ld. CIT (A) also noted that the department has accepted all these investments in the earlier assessment years, even in the scrutiny assessments and had not drawn any adverse interference. Therefore, we do not find any infirmity/anomaly in the appellate order of the ld. CIT (A), who has passed a very reasoned and speaking order after following the decision of Hon'ble Jurisdictional High Court in case of CIT VS. Dataware Private Ltd. (supra) as well as the decision of the co-ordinate benches on the same issue namely; M/s Swarna Kalash Commercial Pvt. Ltd. vs ACIT (supra) &M/s Ashtvinayak Sales Pvt. Ltd. vs ACIT (supra). We have perused the decisions in the above referred two decisions of the coordinate benches followed by the ld. CIT (A) and find that the issue is exactly similar as before us in the present case. The operative part of M/s Ashtvinayak Sales Pvt. Ltd. vs ACIT (supra) extracted below: - 9.1. The assessee has also filed movement of investments over the years which showed that the phenomenon of purchase and sale of shares/investments was regular feature of the assessee’s business. This is also undisputed that the assessee company had raised share capital (including premium) amounting to Rs.119,84,67,000/- in financial year 2010-11, relevant to AY 2011-12 and the capital so raised in AY 2011-12 was invested in shares/securities and accounted for in the books of accounts which were audited and audited accounts are placed at page no. 102 to 111 of PB Vol.-1. We also note that the assessment for AY 2011-12 was framed u/s 143(3) of the Act vide order dated 17.03.2014 a copy of which is placed at page no. 276 and 277 of PB Vol.-1 and the neither the share capital/share premium nor the investments out of that source were doubted by the AO. 9.2. We also note that similar issue was involved in the case of M/S Swarna Kalash Commercial Pvt Ltd. Vs ACIT ,Central Circle -2(2), Kolkata, a group concern of the Rashmi Group of Companies ,which was also subjected to search u/s 132(1) of the Act in the same search proceedings. We note that the coordinate bench has decided the issue in favour of the assessee in ITA No. I.T.(S.S.)A.No.53/Kol/2022 A.Y.2019-20 vide order dated 01.09.2023 involving the same issue of addition of sale of shares/investments by the AO on the ground that identity and credentials of the purchasers of shares/investments were suspicious. The operative part of the order is extracted as under: “6.1.We have considered the rival contentions and gone through the record. First we deal with the issue relating to the undated detailed order passed by the Assessing Officer even after the prescribed date of limitation for passing the assessment order for the assessment year under consideration which is other than the short cryptic order as reproduced above and which did not even bear any Document Identification Number, (in short “DIN”)as mandated vide CBDT Circular No.19 of 2019. 6.1. As mentioned in the said CBDT circular no. 19 of 2019 and as also further held by the Hon’ble Delhi High Court in the case of CIT vs. Brandix Mauritius Holdings Ltd. [2023[ 149 taxmann.com 238 (Del), any 11.2. The shares were held by the assessee as investments and were sold at the cost of acquisition by the assessee. Hence, there is no profit/loss on such sale of investment. We also look at the movement of investment held by the assessee, which is tabulated below:
FY AY Opening Purchase Sales Amount Closing Balance byA.O. 2014-15 2015-16 63,42,00,000 63,42,00000 2015-16 2016-17 63,42,00,000 42,44,960 18,344,960 62,01,00,000 1,83,44,960 2016-17 2017-18 62,01,00,000 56,27,44,459 468,499,459 71,43,45,000 46,84,99,459 2017-18 2018-19 71.43.45,000 1,55,17,29,538 2,062,064,910 20,40,09,628 2,06,20,64,910 2018-19 2019-20 20,40,09,628 66, 47, 64, 007 170,560,000 69,82,13,635 17,05,60,000 Total 2,71,94,69,239 11.3. We also refer to the details of opening stock, purchases, sales and closing stock during the year, placed on record by the assessee:
Breakup of Sale of Shares Amount(Rs.) Breakup of Sale of Shares Amount(Rs.) Sold out of Opening Investment 5,86,73,194 Sold out of Opening Investment 5,86,73,194 Sold out of Investment Purchased During the Sold out of Investment Purchased During the Year 11,18,86,806 Year 11,18,86,806 Total 17,05,60,000 Total 17,05,60,000 11.5. It is also important to note that the AO has made enquiries from the buyers ofthe shares sold by the assessee by issuing summons u/s 131 of the Act who haveresponded and furnished the required details. Summary Statement of the replies madein response to notice u/s 131 by various buyers (Sale of Shares) is tabulated below:
Further, according to the ld. Counsel, the only piece of evidence that is there in this case is the statement of Sri Sanjib Patwari who is one of the owners of the Rashmi group and Sri K K Verma is the accountant, recorded u/s 132(4) of the Act which have been relied upon by the Assessing Officer. These statements have been retracted the very next day by furnishing affidavits. Subsequent to retraction, no further cross- examination was conducted of these persons. The ld. Counsel has further submitted that even otherwise the addition made by the Assessing Officer was far more than the alleged disclosure made by these persons in their retracted statements and hence, no cognizance in fact can be taken for the purpose of the addition. 12.1. We find force in the above contentions of the ld. Counsel in the facts and circumstances of the case. As laid down by the various Higher Courts of the country, the retracted statement can not be made sole basis for making the additions. The Jurisdictional Calcutta High Court in
In the result, the appeal of the assessee is allowed.
Order pronounced in the open court on 02.12.2025.