Facts
The Revenue filed 8 appeals against two assessees, M/s. Apple Natural Resources Pvt. Ltd. and M/s. Apple Minerals Pvt. Ltd., for assessment years 2012-13 to 2015-16. These appeals arose from Section 153C proceedings initiated following a Section 132 search on the Apple Group, where the Assessing Officer made protective additions for undisclosed income and bogus share capital. The CIT(A) reversed these protective additions, leading the Revenue to appeal. The assessees did not appear, and the case proceeded ex-parte.
Held
The Tribunal dismissed all eight appeals by the Revenue, upholding the CIT(A)'s decision to reverse the protective additions. It was held that there was no merit in making protective additions in the assessees' hands as substantive additions were already upheld in the case of the main searched person, Sh. Ashish Garg. Furthermore, the share capital addition was already assessed in a prior year, making the current protective addition a double addition, which was deemed unjustified under Section 292C of the Act.
Key Issues
Whether the CIT(A) correctly reversed protective additions made for undisclosed income and bogus share capital under Section 153C, given that substantive additions were made to the main searched person and some additions constituted double taxation.
Sections Cited
Section 132 of the Income Tax Act, Section 153C of the Income Tax Act, Section 144 of the Income Tax Act, Section 292C of the Income Tax Act
AI-generated summary — verify with the full judgment below
Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, DELHI BENCH: ‘A’ NEW DELHI
Before: SHRI SATBEER SINGH GODARA & SHRI M. BALAGANESH
Date of hearing 13.11.2024 & 14.11.2024 Date of pronouncement 27.11.2024 ORDER
PER SATBEER SINGH GODARA, JM
The instant batch of 8 Revenue’s appeals pertain to two assessees herein, namely, M/s. Apple Natural Resources Pvt. Ltd. , 1951, 1952 & 1953/Del/2024; 1978, 1979, 1980 & 1981/Del/2024 and M/s. Apple Minerals Pvt. Ltd. All other Revenue appeals’ details thereof stand tabulated as under:
Sl. Appeal No. Appellant Respondent Order Appealed against No. 1. 1950/Del/2024 DCIT, Apple Natural CIT(A)-3, Noida ’s order for AY: 2012-13 Central Resources Pvt. dated 27.02.2024 passed Circle-II, Ltd. in case no. CIT(A), Kanpur- Noida 4/10098/2018-19 involving proceedings under Section 153C r.w.s 144 of the Act 2. 1951/Del/2024 DCIT, Apple Natural CIT(A)-3, Noida ’s order for AY: 2013-14 Central Resources Pvt. dated 27.02.2024 passed Circle-II, Ltd. in case no. CIT(A), Kanpur- Noida 4/10099/2018-19 involving proceedings under Section 153C r.w.s 144 of the Act 3. 1952/Del/2024 DCIT, Apple Natural CIT(A)-3, Noida ’s order for AY: 2014-15 Central Resources Pvt. dated 27.02.2024 passed Circle-II, Ltd. in case no. CIT(A), Kanpur- Noida 4/10100/2018-19 involving proceedings under Section 153C r.w.s 144 of the Act 4. 1953/Del/2024 DCIT, Apple Natural CIT(A)-3, Noida ’s order for AY: 2015-16 Central Resources Pvt. dated 27.02.2024 passed Circle-II, Ltd. in case no. CIT(A), Kanpur- Noida 4/10101/2018-19 involving proceedings under Section 153C r.w.s 144 of the Act 5. 1978/Del/2024 DCIT, Apple Mineral CIT(A)-3, Noida ’s order for AY: 2012-13 Central Pvt. Ltd. dated 27.02.2024 passed Circle-II, in case no. CIT(A), Kanpur- Noida 4/10106/2018-19 involving proceedings under Section 153C r.w.s 144 of the Act 6. 1979/Del/2024 DCIT, Apple Mineral CIT(A)-3, Noida ’s order for AY: 2013-14 Central Pvt. Ltd. dated 27.02.2024 passed Circle-II, in case no. CIT(A), Kanpur- New Delhi 4/10108/2018-19 involving proceedings under Section 153C r.w.s 144 of the Act 7. 1980/Del/2024 DCIT, Apple Mineral CIT(A)-3, Noida ’s order for AY: 2014-15 Central Pvt. Ltd. dated 27.02.2024 passed 2 | P a g e , 1951, 1952 & 1953/Del/2024; 1978, 1979, 1980 & 1981/Del/2024
Circle-II, in case no. CIT(A), Kanpur- Noida 4/10109/2018-19 involving proceedings under Section 153C r.w.s 144 of the Act 8. 1981/Del/2024 DCIT, Apple Mineral CIT(A)-3, Noida ’s order for AY: 2015-16 Central Pvt. Ltd. dated 27.02.2024 passed Circle-II, in case no. CIT(A), Kanpur- Noida 4/10110/2018-19 involving proceedings under Section 153C r.w.s 144 of the Act
Cases called twice. None appeared at the behest of the assessee. We accordingly proceeded ex-parte.
Learned CIT(DR) representing Revenue vehemently argued during the course of hearing that CIT(A)’s impugned lower appellate orders have erred in law/facts in reversing the corresponding assessment findings making “protective” additions, involving varying sums in these cases. There would be hardly any dispute that all these Revenue’s eight appeals have emanated from the department’s section 132 search action in M/s. Apple Group on 11.11.2014 leading to initiation of section 153C proceedings against both these assessees, namely, M/s. Apple Natural Resources Pvt. Ltd. and M/s. Apple Mineral Pvt. Ltd. which finally culminated in identical protective additions in their respective hands. The department is indeed very fair during the course of hearing that the CIT(A)’s identical orders in case of Ashish Garg 3 | P a g e , 1951, 1952 & 1953/Del/2024; 1978, 1979, 1980 & 1981/Del/2024 making substantive additions to the very effect have been duly upheld.
Mr. Javed Akhtar, learned CIT(DR) informs us that the learned Assessing Officer has made the impugned protective additions in assessee’s hands to protect the interest of the Revenue going by Lalji Haridas Vs. ITO [1961] 43 ITR 387 (SC). 5. It is this factual backdrop that we proceed to treat Revenue’s appeal in as the “lead” case raising twin substantive grounds seeking to revise undisclosed income protective addition of Rs. 4,57,26,000/- and bogus share capital amounting to Rs.28,22,30,000/-; respectively.
We have given our thoughtful consideration to the Revenue’s foregoing twin substantive grounds in this “lead” case i.e. and find no merit therein. We make it clear that the learned CIT(A) has not only upheld the substantive additions in case of the main searched person Sh. Ashish Garg, but also concluded in light of section 292C of the Act that going by the statutory presumption of the contents in the incriminating material seized during the course of search, there is no material to uphold the impugned protective addition in the assessee’s hands.
4 | P a g e , 1951, 1952 & 1953/Del/2024; 1978, 1979, 1980 & 1981/Del/2024
So far as Revenue’s latter substantive ground regarding share capital addition in the assessee’s case is concerned, it has been reversed on the ground that the same already stands assessed in preceding assessment year 2011-12 which has gone un-rebutted from the Revenue side. We thus see no reasons to accept its instant latter substantive grounds being an instance of double addition. This Revenue’s “lead” appeal in fails accordingly. Same order to follow in the Revenue’s remaining seven appeals seeking to revive identical protective additions which stand rejected in very terms.