DIPAK NATH,SI vs. AGARVS.INCOME TAX OFFICER, WARD-1, SIVSAGAR

This is an appeal preferred by the assessee against the order of the Ld. Commissioner of Income Tax(Appeals), Jorhat (hereinafter referred to as the Ld. CIT(A)”] dated 26.09.2019 for the AY 2016-17.

At the outset, the Ld. Counsel for the assessee submitted that the Ld. CIT(A) has decided the appeal ex-parte as the assessee could not appear on the various occasions when the Ld. CIT(A) fixed the appeals for hearing. The Ld. Counsel submitted that the notices sent by the Ld. CIT(A) were not received by the assessee and therefore the these appeal of the assessee remained unattended before the Ld. CIT(A). The ld. Counsel of the assessee prayed before the Bench that the assessee may kindly be given one more opportunity to defend its case on merit before the Ld. CIT(A) by restoring this appeal to the file of the Ld. CIT(A).

After hearing the rival parties and perusing the material on record, we observe that the assessee’s appeal was decided ex-parte when the assessee failed to turn up on the dates fixed for hearings and now therefore in the interest of justice and fairplay, the assessee deserves to be given one more opportunity to defend its case before the Ld. CIT(A) on merits. Accordingly we restore the appeal to the file of the Ld. CIT(A) with the directions to decide the same on merits by affording the assessee a reasonable opportunity of hearing. Simultaneously, we also direct the assessee to cooperate in the disposal of this appeal.