BHOPAL SINGH CHAUDHARY,SRINAGAR GARHWAL vs. ITO SRINAGAR, SRINAGAR GARHWAL

In first appeal, Ld.AR for the assessee submits that matter was referred for arbitration where the arbitral Tribunal vide its order dated 26.12.2022 has reduced the value of the property at INR 17,14,335/- and therefore, the assessee submits that the additional income offered in the return of income in response to notice issued u/s 148 should be restricted to differential value as determined by Page | arbitral Tribunal and the agreed consideration, since the income was offered by the assessee solely for this reason u/s 56(2) of the Act. However, ld. CIT(A) observed that the assessee himself admitted additional income in the return of income filed in response to notice issued u/s 148 of the Act therefore, the same cannot be reduced and further confirmed the addition of INR 38,959/- towards the bank deposits.

Before us, Ld. AR submits that after the order of the Arbitral Tribunal, fair market value of the said property was reduced to INR 17,14,335/- as against registered Sale Deed of INR 15,78,401/- thus there is a difference of INR 1,35,931/- only which is approx. 8.62% of the registered Sale Deed. Ld. AR submits that since it falls within the tolerance limit of 10% as provided u/s 50C of the Act, therefore, no addition is required to be made on this score. Regarding interest on bank FDR, Ld. AR submits that interest brought to tax by the AO on accrual basis whereas the assessee has disclosed the same on receipt basis therefore, no addition is required to be made. He prayed accordingly.

On the other hand, Ld. CIT DR for the Revenue submits that assessee has already offered income u/s 56(2) in the return of income filed in respect to notice issued u/s 148 and therefore, there is no question for reduction of the same. Regarding the Interest income, ld. CIT DR submits that the AO has made the addition on accrual basis which deserves to be uphold. She prayed accordingly.

Now coming to the issue of addition of differential amount of INR 1,35,934/- (INR 17,14,335 – INR 15,78,401), we find that the same come to 8.62% of the registered Sale Deed which is more that the tolerance limit of 5% inserted u/s 50C of the Act from AY 2019- 20. The Co-ordinate Bench of the Delhi Tribunal, in the case of Amrapali Cinema vs. ACIT, Circle-I, Meerut reported in (2021) 127 TAxmann.com376 (ITAT Delhi) has held as under: Page | 5

“We have heard the rival contentions and perused the material available on record. We find that there is no dispute with regard to fact that fair market value determined by the DVO at Rs. 8,89,63,168/-against the actual sale consideration of Rs. 8,78,00,000/- as disclosed in Sale Deed. The resulting difference is Rs.11,63,168/- which is 1.02%. The Co-ordinate Bench of this Tribunal in the case of Maria Fernandes Cheryl(supra) has held as under:— 7. 'These submissions, however, do not impress us. As noted by the Central Board of Direct Taxes circular # 8 of 2018, explaining the reason for the insertion of the third proviso to Section 50C(1), has observed that "It has been pointed out that the variation between stamp duty value and actual consideration received can occur in respect of similar properties in the same area because of a variety of factors, including the shape of the plot or location". Once the CBDT itself accepts that these variations could be on account of a variety of factors, essentially bona fide factors, and, for this reason, Section50C(1) should not come into play, it was an "unintended consequence" of Section 50(1) that even in such bona fide situations, this provision, which is inherently in the nature of an anti-avoidance provision, is invoked. Once this situation is sought to be addressed, as is the settled legal position- as we will see a little later in our analysis, this situation needs to be addressed in entirety for the entire period in which such legal provisions had effect, and not for a specific Assessment year: 2011- 12 time period only. There is no good reason for holding the curative amendment to be only as prospective in effect. Dealing with a somewhat materially identical situation in the case of Rajeev Kumar Agarwal v. ACIT [(2014) 45 taxmnann.com 555 (Agra)] wherein a coordinate bench was dealing with the question whether insertion of a proviso to Section 40(a)(i) to cure intended consequence could have retrospective effect, even though not specifically provided for, and speaking through one of us (i.e. the Vice President), the coordinate bench had, after a detailed analysis of the legal position, observed that, "Now that the legislature has been compassionate enough to cure these shortcomings of provision, and thus obviate the unintended hardships, such an amendment in law, in view of the well settled legal position to the effect that a curative amendment to avoid unintended consequences is to be treated as retrospective in nature even though it may not state so specifically, the insertion of second proviso must be given retrospective effect from the point of time when the related legal provision was introduced". Referring to this decision, and extensively Page | reproducing from the same, including the portion extracted above, Hon'ble Delhi High Court, in the case of CIT v. Ansal Landmark Township Pvt Ltd. [(2015) 61taxmann.com 45 (Del)], has approved this approach and observed that "(t)he Court is of the view that the above reasoning of the Agra Bench of ITAT as regards the rationale behind the insertion of the second proviso to Section 40(a)(ia) of the Act and its conclusion that the said proviso is declaratory and curative and has retrospective effect from 1st April 2005, merits acceptance". The same was the path followed by another bench of this Tribunal in the case of Dharmashibhai Sonani v. ACIT [(2016) 161 ITD 627 (Ahd)]which has been approved by Hon'ble Madras High Court in the judgment reported as CIT v. Vummudi Amarendran [(2020) 429 ITR 97 (Mad)]. The question that we must take a call on, therefore, is as to what is the rationale behind the insertion of the third proviso to section 50C(1), and if that rationale is to provide a remedy for unintended consequences of the main provision, we must hold that the third proviso to section 50C(1) comes into force with effect from the same date on which the main provision, unintended provisions of which are sought to be nullified, itself was brought into effect. Let us understand what the nature of the provisions of Section 50C is. In terms of this provision, if the property is sold below the stamp duty valuation rate, which is often called circle rate, this stamp duty valuation report is assumed as sale consideration for the property in question, and, accordingly, capital gains tax is levied. This deeming fiction to substitute apparent sale considerations by notional consideration computed on the basis of a stamp duty valuation rate, was thus to address the issue with respect to potential evasion of taxes by understating the sale consideration amount in a sale deed. As noted by the CBDT, while explaining the justification for insertion of section 50 C, "(t)he Finance Act, 2002, has inserted a new section 50C in the Income-tax Act to make a special provision for determining the full value of consideration in cases of transfer of immovable property". Section 50C, thus, on a conceptual note, is a provision to address capital gains tax evasion on account of understatement of the consideration. Of course, the law provides, under section 50C(2), that wherever an assessee claims that the actual market rate is less than the stamp duty valuation, he can have the matter referred to a Departmental Valuation Officer for the ascertainment of the market value, but then it is a Assessment year: 2011-12 cumbersome procedure and, at the end of the day, every valuation, whether by the departmental valuation officer or under the stamp duty valuation notification, is an estimate, and there can always be bona fide variations, Page | though to a certain limited extent, in these estimations. Unless, therefore, some kind of a tolerance band or a safe harbour provision, in respect of such bona fide variations, is implicit in the scheme of law, the assessees are bound to face undue hardships. The mechanism under section 50C proceeds on the assumption that when the sale consideration is less than the stamp duty valuation, the sale consideration is to be treated as understated. This assumption is, however, laid to rest when the variations between the stated consideration and the stamp duty valuation figure are treated as explained. The insertion of the third proviso to section 50C(1)provides for this tolerance band with respect to a certain degree of variations between the stamp duty valuation and the stated consideration of an immovable property. In other words, as long as the variations are within the permissible limits, the anti-avoidance provisions of section 50C do not come into play. As we have noted earlier, the CBDT itself accepts that there could be various bona fide reasons explaining the small variations between the sale consideration of immovable property as disclosed by the assessee vis-à-vis the stamp duty valuation for the said immovable property. Obviously, therefore, disturbing the actual sale consideration, for the purpose of computing capital gains, and adopting a notional figure, for that purpose, will not be justified in such cases. On a conceptual note, an estimation of market price is an estimation nevertheless, even if by a statutory authority like the stamp duty valuation authority, and such a valuation can never be elevated to the status of such a precise computation which admits no variations. The rigour of section 50C(1) was thus relaxed, and very thoughtfully so, to take these bona fide cases of small variations between the stated sale consideration vis-à-vis stamp duty valuation, out of the scope of adjustments contemplated in the computation of capital gains under this anti-avoidance provision. In our humble understanding, it is a case of a curative amendment to take care of unintended consequences of the scheme of Section 50C. It makes perfect sense, and truly reflects a very pragmatic approach full of compassion and fairness, that just because there is a small variation between the stated sale consideration of a property and stamp duty valuation of the same property, one cannot proceed to draw an inference against the assessee, and subject the assessee to practically prove his being truthful in stating the sale consideration. Clearly, therefore, this insertion of the third proviso to section 50C(1) is in the nature of are medial measure to address a bona fide situation where there is little justification for invoking an anti-avoidance provision. Similarly, so far as enhancement of tolerance band to 10% by the Finance Act Page | concerned, as noted in the CBDT circular itself, it was done in response to the representations of the stakeholders for enhancement in the tolerance band. Once the Government acknowledged this genuine hardship to the taxpayer and addressed the issue by a suitable amendment in law, the next question was what should be a fair tolerance band for variations in these values. As a responsive Government, which is truly the hallmark of the present Government, even though the initial tolerance band level was taken at5%, in response to the representations by the stakeholders, this tolerance band, or safe harbour provision, was increased to 10%. There is no particular reason to justify any particular time frame for implementing this enhancement Assessment year: 2011-12 of tolerance band or safe harbour provision. The reasons assigned by the CBDT, i.e., "the variation between stamp duty value and actual consideration received can occur in respect of similar properties in the same area because of a variety of factors, including the shape of the plot or location," was as much valid in 2003 as it is in 2021. There is no variation in the material facts in this respect in 2021 vis-à-vis the material facts in 2003. What holds good in 2021 was also good in 2003. If variations up to 10% need to be tolerated and need not be probed further, under section 50C, in 2021, there were no good reasons to probe such variations, under section50C, in the earlier periods as well. We are, therefore, satisfied that the amendment in the scheme of section 50 C(1), by inserting the third proviso thereto and by enhancing the tolerance band for variations between the stated sale consideration vis-à-vis stamp duty valuation to 10%, are curative in nature, and, therefore, these provisions, even though stated to be prospective, must be held to relate back to the date when the related statutory provision of Section 50C, i.e. 1st April 2003. In plain words, what is means is that even if the valuation of a property, for the purpose of stamp duty valuation, is 10% more than the stated sale consideration, the stated sale consideration will be accepted at the face value and the anti- avoidance provisions under section 50C will not be invoked.

Regarding levy of penalty on the addition of INR 38,959/- being the bank interest, we have already set aside this issue to the file of AO therefore, no penalty is leviable on this issue. Accordingly, penalty levied u/s 270A of the Act is hereby, deleted.

In the result, the appeal of the assessee is allowed.

In the final result, appeal of the assessee in [Assessment Year 2017-18] is allowed for statistical purposes & [Assessment Year 2017-18] is allowed. Order pronounced in the open Court on 09.03.2026.