BANERJEE, J.

1. These three references under the Indian IT Act, 1922, were made in circumstances hereinafter stated.

2. The assessee, Calcutta Landing and Shipping Co. Ltd., is a public limited company acting as shipping agents, inter alia, in the Port of Calcutta. One A.I.D. Baptist joined the services of the assessee-company, on probation, on 1st Sept., 1954, and was confirmed as a senior assistant on 1st April, 1955. On June 3, 1955, the said Mr. Baptist was murdered in the company's yard, under circumstances tragic in nature, as appears from the following undisputed statement of fact made by the assessee-company (page 54 of the paper-book) :

"Towards the end of May, 1955, one of the launches of the company 'Celt' was found to require major repairs and it was, therefore, directed to be dry-docked at the company's yard at Salkia, Howrah. When this was done, according to the practice followed on the river, all the crew of the launch excepting the serang and the engine driver was discharged. On 3rd June, 1955, at about 7- 45 a.m. Mr. Baptist, along with the yard foreman, went to inspect the launch 'Celt' in order to assess the repairs required and to give the necessary inst