DEVENDRAGOUDA CHANNAVIRAGOUDA HIREGOUDRA,HAVERI vs. INCOME TAX OFFICER, WARD 1, HAVERI, DAVANGERE

The reason that caused delay in filing appeal before this Tribunal was because the assessee was not having access to the mail id mentioned in Form 35 to which all the notices and the impugned order were sent by the office of Ld.CIT(A).

The Ld.AR submitted that immediately the assessee approached the present AR and an appeal was filed before this Tribunal. He prayed that the assessee was under a bonafide belief that, the notices forwarded by assessee to the then tax consultant was being taken cognizance of by the erstwhile tax consultant. He thus prayed for the delay to be condoned as there is no malafide mistake / intention that could be attributable on the assessee in causing the delay in filing the present appeal before this Tribunal.

On the contrary, the Ld.DR though vehemently opposed the condonation of delay was of the opinion that the issue should be decided on merits.

From the affidavit filed by the assessee, there does not arise any malafide intention on behalf of assessee for not filing the present appeal before this Tribunal.

The assessee was not aware about the appellate order being passed ex-parte. In our view, the assessee has made out a reasonable cause for the delay that caused in filing the present

We place reliance on following observations by Hon’ble Supreme Court in case of Collector Land Acquisition Vs. Mst. Katiji & Ors., reported in (1987) 167 ITR 471 wherein, Hon’ble Court observed as under:- “The Legislature has conferred the power to condone delay by enacting section 51 of the Limitation Act of 1963 in order to enable the courts to do substantial justice to parties by disposing of matters on de merits". The expression “sufficient cause” employed by the Legislature is adequately elastic to enable the courts to apply the law in a meaningful manner which subserves the ends of justice that being the life-purpose of the existence of the institution of courts. It is common knowledge that this court has been making a justifiably liberal approach in matters instituted in this court. But the message does not appear to have percolated down to all the other courts in the hierarchy. And such a liberal approach is adopted on principle as it is realized that : 1. Ordinarily, a litigant does not stand to benefit by lodging an appeal late. 2. Refusing to condone delay can result in a meritorious matter being thrown out at the very threshold and cause of justice being defeated. As against this, when delay is condoned, the highest that can happen is that a cause would be decided on merits after hearing the parties. ......................................................1.Any appeal or any application, other than an application under any of the provisions of Order XXI of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908, may be admitted after the prescribed period if the appellant or the applicant satisfies the court that he had

Considering the submissions by both sides and respectfully following the observation by Hon’ble Supreme Court, we find it fit to condone the delay caused in filing the present appeal as it is not attributable to the assessee. In any event, though the procedural law pertaining to the limitation has been drafted to construe it strictly, the fact remains that, considering such technicalities will not advance the cause of justice.

We take support from the observations of Justice Krishna Iyer wherein he has quoted at various occasion while dealing with technicalities that “any interpretation that alludes substantive justice is not to be followed and that substantive justice must always prevail over procedural technicalities”. Even Hon’ble Supreme Court in case of Collector Land Acquisition Vs. Mst. Katiji & Ors., reported in (1987) 167 ITR 471 has laid down a ratio of similar principles. Respectfully following the thoughts propounded by Late Hon’ble Justice Krishna Iyer, as well as various decisions of Hon’ble Supreme Court on similar issues, I condone the delay caused in filing the present appeal before this Tribunal. Accordingly, we condone the delay in filing the present appeal before this Tribunal.

On merits of the case, it is noted that the addition made by the Ld.AO is in respect of cash deposited during the

As the assessee failed to furnish the relevant details as called for during the assessment proceedings. The Ld.AO thus issued 133(6) to the bank in which cash was found to be deposited during the demonetisation period amounting to Rs. 43 Lakhs. The Ld.AO made addition in respect of the amount deposited during the demonetisation period in the hands of the assessee u/s. 68 of the act and invoked the provisions of section 115BBA.

Aggrieved by the order of the Ld.CIT(A), the assessee preferred appeal before this Tribunal.

We note that the authorities below have not considered the CBDT circulars in order to verify the same. Even the Ld.AO during the assessment proceedings has not considered the relevant CBDT circulars that was issued for the purposes of verifying the demonetized cash deposited during the year under consideration. In the interest of justice, we remit this issue to the Ld.AO to verify the sales made by the assessee that is deposited into the bank accounts during the year under

The assessee is also directed to furnish all relevant evidences in support of its claim. The Ld.AO shall verify the documents and consider the claim in accordance with law. Needless to say that proper opportunity of being heard must be granted to assessee in accordance with law. Accordingly, the grounds raised by the assessee stands partly allowed. In the result, the appeal filed by the assessee stands partly allowed. Order pronounced in the open court on 01st August, 2024.