High Court Of Calcutta
SABYASACHI MUKHERJI, JANAH AND SHARMA
SURAJMULL CHOTEYLAL - Appellant
Versus
COMMISSIONER OF INCOME-TAX - Respondent
Income-Tax Reference 265 Of 1967
Decided On : 01/21/1977
INCOME TAX - Review of order - Maintainability - Subsequent decision of Supreme Court - Not a ground for review - Application dismissed.
Fact of the Case:
The assessee suffered a loss of Rs. 54,934 in its transactions in hessian and gunny bags, which were concluded by transfer of P. D. Os. The Income Tax Officer held that the loss was a speculative loss and could not be set off against the profit from other business activities of the assessee. The assessee challenged the order before the Tribunal, which referred the following questions to the High Court: (a) Whether the loss was a speculative loss under Explanation 2 to Section 24 (1) of the Indian Income-tax Act, 1922? (b) If the answer to question (a) is in the affirmative, whether the loss could be set off against the profit from other business activities of the assessee under Section 10 (1) notwithstanding the provisions contained in the first proviso to Section 24 (1) of the Act?
Finding of the Court:
The High Court, following the decision of the Supreme Court in Raghunath Prasad Poddar v. Commissioner of Income-tax, remanded the case back to the Tribunal for finding out whether actual delivery had been given in respect of delivery orders to the ultimate purchasers. The Supreme Court, however, in Davenport and Co. P. Ltd. v. Commissioner of Income-tax, held that "actual delivery" in Explanation 2 to Section 24 (1) of the Income-tax Act meant real as opposed to notional delivery. The Supreme Court further held that the position of law had been correctly stated in the decision of the Calcutta High Court in D. M. Wadhwana v. Commissioner of Income-tax and overruled the view in Raghunath Prasad Poddar.
Issues: Whether the High Court could review its order dated 27th June, 1974, in view of the subsequent decision of the Supreme Court in Davenport and Co. P. Ltd. v. Commissioner of Income-tax?
Ratio Decidendi: The High Court held that it could not review its order dated 27th June, 1974, in view of the subsequent decision of the Supreme Court in Davenport and Co. P. Ltd. v. Commissioner of Income-tax. The High Court held that a subsequent decision by the court or a subsequent alteration of law is not a ground for review under Order 47, Rule 1, of the Code of Civil Procedure.
Final Decision: The High Court dismissed the application for review.
( 1 ) THIS is an application for review and reconsideration of an order passed by this court on 27th of June, 1974. The said order was passed in Income-tax Reference No. 265 of 1967. It appeals that in respect of the assessment year 1958-59, there was a reference to this court under Section 66 (1) of the Indian Income-tax Act, 1922, on the following two questions :" (a) Whether, on the facts and in the circumstances of the case, the loss of Rs. 54,934 suffered by the assessee in its transactions in hessian and gunny bags, which were concluded by transfer of P. D. Os. is loss arising from speculative transactions under Explanation 2 to Section 24 (1) of the Indian Income-tax Act, 1922 ? (b) If the question No. 1 is answered in the affirmative, whether, on the facts and in the circumstances of the case, the loss of Rs. 54,934 could be set off against the profit from other business activities of the assessee under Section 10 (1) notwithstanding the provisions contained in the first proviso to Section 24 (1) of the Indian Income-tax Act, 1922 ?"
( 2 ) FOLLOWING the decision of the Supreme Court in the case of Raghunath Prasad Poddar v. Commissioner of Income-tax , we have remanded the case back to the Tribunal for finding out whether actual delivery had been given in respect of delivery orders to the ultimate purchasers. We have further directed the Tribunal to give its finding after giving opportunities to the parties and if necessary after taking additional evidence. Thereafter, on or about 31st of July, 1975, the Supreme Court by its decision in the case of Davenport and Co. P. Ltd. v. Commissioner of Income-tax expressed the view that "actual delivery" in Explanation 2 to Section 24 (1) of the Income-tax Act meant real as opposed to notional delivery. "the Supreme Court was, further, of the opinion that whether a transaction was speculative in the general sense or under the Contract Act was not relevant for the purpose of this Explanation. The definition of delivery in Section 2 (2) of the Sale of Goods Act which had been held to include both actual and constructive or symbolical delivery had no bearing on the definition of speculative transactions in the Explanation, The Explanation 2 to the section, the Supreme Court reiterated, did not invalidate speculative transactions which were otherwise legal but gave a special legal meaning to that expression for the purpose of the Income-tax Act only. The Supreme Court further expressed the view that the position of law had been correctly stated in the decision of the Calcutta High Court in the case of D. M. Wadhwana v. Commissioner of Income-tax [1966] 61
ITR 154. In that view of the matter the Supreme Court overruled the view in the case of Raghunath Prasad Poddar.
( 3 ) IN these circumstances, the revenue has made this application asking for an order that the judgment and order in this case dated the 27th June, 1974, passed by us be rectified or modified or reviewed. The question is, is that possible ? The scope of reconsideration or re-examination by courts is not uncharted. On behalf of the revenue it was stated that the application was made under Section 151 of the Code of Civil Procedure. But to maintain an application under Section 151 of the Code of Civil Procedure it must be on a ground which is not expressly or impliedly prohibited by any other provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure.
( 4 ) ORDER 20, Rule 3, of the Code, provides that the judgment shall be dated and signed by the judge in open court at the time of pronouncing it and when once signed shall not afterwards be altered or added to, save as provided by Section 152 or on review. Section 152 of the Code of Civil Procedure deals with accidental slips or omissions. We are not concerned with that position here. Review is provided for in Order 47, Rule 1, of the Code of Civil Procedure. But in order again to be a valid application under Order 47, Rule 1, it must be in respect of an error o
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