SRI. M.K. THIMMIAH vs. THE INCOME TAX SETTLEMENT COMMISSION

The Income Tax Settlement Commission Additional Bench, 640, Anna Salai Nandanam, Chennai-600035 Represented by its Secretary.

The Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax, Circle-1(2)(1) 6th Floor, HMT Bhavan, Bellary Road Ganganagar, Bangalore-560 032.

The petitioner - Assessee has filed these petitions challenging the order passed by the Income Tax Settlement Commission, Chennai (‘Settlement Commission’ for short), on 03/02/2015, Annexure F by which the learned Settlement Commission held that the Applicant could not explain the details of Additional Income offered for settlement and the manner of earning the same and therefore the Settlement Application filed by the Applicant for the Assessment Years 2007-08 to 2011-2012 could not be allowed to proceed further and thus the Application under Section

The present writ petitions have been filed by the petitioner –Assessee assailing the said order inter alia on the ground that the said order is a non-speaking order and though entire relevant information for settlement was given in the Application filed for such settlement, but without properly applying their mind to the said facts and details, the learned Settlement Commission has rejected the Application summarily.

On the other hand, the learned counsel for the Respondent – Department has brought to the notice of the Court, to which no objection is raised by the learned counsel for the petitioner that for these Assessment Years, viz. 2007-08 to 2011-12, the Regular Assessment orders have been passed in the meanwhile against the petitioner by the regular

The learned counsel for the petitioner assessee submitted that almost 50% of the disputed demand for these assessment years stands paid after taking into account the amount deposited with the Settlement Commission.

Having heard the learned counsels, this Court is of the opinion that since the regular assessment procedure has been undertaken by the Assessing Authorities and against the orders passed by the Assessing Authorities, the petitioner has already availed his appellate remedy in accordance with the provisions of the said Act, the challenge to the order passed by the Settlement Commission, rejecting the

The alternative to the above is to direct the Appellate Authority of the Income Tax Department namely Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals), where the appeal filed by the petitioner is said to be pending, to dispose of the same on merits expeditiously as far as possible, preferably within a period of six months from today. 7. Till the said appeals are decided by the learned Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals), it is expected that the Respondent Department will not take precipitative action against the petitioner for recovery of

With these observations, the writ petitions stand disposed of. No order as to costs.