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2019 Supreme(Bom) 320

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY
Akil Kureshi, M.S. Sanklecha, JJ.
Mandhana Industries Ltd. – Appellant
Versus
Principal Commissioner of Income Tax (Central) and Another – Respondents
Writ Petition No. 2320 of 2018
Decided On : 04-02-2019

Advocates Appeared:
Jehangir Mistri, Nishant Thakkar, Hiten Chande, Suresh Kumar.

Headnote:

Income Tax Act, 1961 - Section 264- Rejection of revision application filed by the petitioner company - Reimbursement of interest expenses under the said scheme for assessment - petitioner is engaged in the business of manufacturing textiles and garments. The petitioner has set up its manufacturing units at two locations i.e. Tarapur in Maharashtra and at Banglore. The petitioner would point out that the Government of India had launched the Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme ("the scheme" for short) w.e.f. 1.4.1999. Under the scheme, to encourage investment in technology upgradation in textile and jute industry, certain financial assistance was made available to domestic industry. Said benefit would be available for modernization or expansion of the existing units as also for setting up new units of textiles and jute industry – Held, Settlement Commission eventually passed the order of settlement assessing total amount of Rs. 6.18 crore (rounded off) concerning two separate assessment years representing the additional income of the assessee, inter alia holding that the assessee had introduced its own money in the form of share application money. The assessee challenged the said order of Settlement Commission before the High Court arguing that the Settlement Commission had no jurisdiction while passing its order under Section 245D(4) of the Act to deal with the issues which were neither raised in the application of the petitioner nor in the report of the Commissioner submitted under Section 245D(3) of the Act. It was argued that the Settlement Commission would have no jurisdiction to travel beyond the subject matter of the application and the report of the Commissioner. This Court relied upon the decisions of the Supreme Court in the case of Express Newspapers Ltd (supra) and Brij Lal (supra) and held that the Act does not contemplate a parallel proceeding before the Settlement Commission and before the Assessing Officer, once the Settlement Commission has decided to proceed with the application under Section 245D(1) of the Act – Petition dismissed

JUDGMENT :

Akil Kureshi, J.

1. We have heard learned counsel for the parties at length.

2. The petitioner Mandhana Industries Ltd. a public limited company has challenged an order dated 28.2.2018 passed by the Principal Commissioner of Income Tax, copy of which produced at Annexure-Q to the petition. By the said order, the Commissioner had rejected the revision application filed by the petitioner company under Section 264 of the Income Tax Act, 1961 ("the Act" for short).

3. The petitioner is engaged in the business of manufacturing textiles and garments. The petitioner has set up its manufacturing units at two locations i.e. Tarapur in Maharashtra and at Banglore. The petitioner would point out that the Government of India had launched the Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme ("the scheme" for short) w.e.f. 1.4.1999. Under the scheme, to encourage investment in technology upgradation in textile and jute industry, certain financial assistance was made available to domestic industry. Said benefit would be available for modernization or expansion of the existing units as also for setting up new units of textiles and jute industry.

4. The petitioner received reimbursement of interest expenses under the said scheme for assessment years 2006- 07 to 2013-14, breakup of which is as under:-

AY

Net TUF Claim (Rupees in Crore)

06-07

1.48

07-08

4.74

08-09

5.92

09-10

8.44

10-11

13.07

11-12

15.44

12-13

18.27

13-14

12.78

TOTAL

80.15

5. The petitioner periodically filed the returns of income for all the above mentioned assessment years and offered the subsidy benefits received from Government of India under the said scheme to tax as revenue receipt. The petitioner was subjected to search operation on 11.1.2012. By that time, the petitioner's assessment for certain years were already completed under Section 143(3) of the Act. The rest were not. Pending assessment under Section 153A of the Act pursuant to the search, the petitioner applied to the Settlement Commission for settlement of all cases under a joint application filed on 22.10.2013. This petition did not contain the Settlement Application and accompanying documents. We had, therefore, requested the learned counsel for the petitioner to make said documents available. These documents have, accordingly, been supplied to us which are taken on record.

6. The petitioner's application for settlement after passing through the various stages envisaged under the Act, came to be finally disposed of by the Settlement Commission by an order dated 30.8.2014 (as at Annexure-M to the petition). In such order, the Settlement Commission concluded as under:-

"Considering all these aspects of the case, we are of the view that end of justice would be met by making an addition of Rs. 1,25,00,000/- to the profits disclosed by the applicant in A. Ys. 2009-10 to 2012-13 pro-rate in the proportion of unsubstantiated purchases as below:-

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

A. Yr.

Amount of unsubstantiated purchases detected

 

Total Col 3+4 (% total)

Amount disclosed by applicant in application

Amount further added

 

u/s. 132

u/s. 133A

 

 

 

2009-10

10,99,51,420

---

10,99,51,420

(10.7%)

44,43,071

13,37,500

2010-11

6,36,28,326

3,67,38,131

10,03,66,457

(9.8%)

21,11,745

12,25,000

2011-12

1,75,67,465

27,59,54,128

29,35,21,593

(28.7%)

70,49,598

35,87,500

2012-13

52,06,10,910

---

52,06,10,910

(100%)

3,42,64,024

1,25,00,000

7. The Settlement Commission imposed certain conditions on which the settlement was based and granted immunity to the petitioner from penalty and prosecution under the Act. The terms and conditions of the settlement for enjoying such immunity read thus:-

"11. Coming to the terms of settlement, the applicant has sought following terms of settlement in th























































































































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