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2000 Supreme(Del) 628

High Court Of Delhi
BALJIT JOLLY - Appellant
Versus
COMMISSIONER OF INCOME-TAX - Respondent
I.T.R. 17/ of 1996
Decided On : 08/02/2000

Advocates Appeared:
AJAY JHA, C.S.AGARWAL, SALIL AGGARWAL, SANJIV KHANNA

Headnote:a) The case questioned whether the allegation on the assessed for creating inaccuracies while creating the balance sheet as books of accounts would constitute patent mistakes under Section 254(2) of the Income Tax Act, 1961 – In this view, a rectification application was made by the assessed It was held that it would not be considered as a patent mistakes – Hence, the case for rectification under Section 254(2) of the Act could not be made out b) The case discussed about the mistakes that could be considered as an apparent from record – It was held that where an error is not evident, it ceased to be an apparent error – Hence, a mistake capable of being rectified under Section 254(2) of the Income Tax Act, 1961, could not be confined to clerical or arithmetical mistakes – It was also stated that a decision on the debatable point of law or disputed question of fact is also not a mistake apparent from the record c) The case dealt with the meaning of the word ‘apparent’ – It was held that the said word means visible; capable of being seen; easily seen; obvious; plain – Hence, a mistake which could be rectified under Section 254(2) of the Income Tax Act, 1961, is the one which is patent, which is obvious and whose discovery is not dependent on argument or elaboration d) The case dealt with the meanings of the word ‘mistake’ – It was held that the said word means to take or understand wrongly or inaccurately; to make an error in interpreting; it is an error; a fault, a misunderstanding, a misconception – It was further stated that the ‘mistake’ is an ordinary word, but in taxation law, it has a special significance – It is not an arithmetical or clerical error – It comprehends error which, after a judicious probe into the record from which it is supposed to emanate are discerned

Arijit Pasayat

( 1 ) THIS is an application under Section 256 (2) of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (for short the act ). In relation to miscellaneous application filed under Section 254 (2) of the Act in ITA No. 1439/del/89 relating to assessment year 1985-86, the Income-tax Appellant Tribunal, Delhi Bench c (in short the tribunal ) held that there was no mistake apparent on the face of the record in relation to the addition of unexplained investments to the extent of Rs. 6. 00 lakhs.

( 2 ) IN the application filed under Section 254 (2) of the Act, assessee had taken the stand that the Tribunal s conclusion were not in accordance with the facts on record. It was stated that the total amount spent by the assessee on the construction of house was Rs. 6. 92 lakhs of which she spent Rs. 2,85,600. 00 in the assessment year 1984-85, and the balance Rs. 4,06,400. 00 were spent in the previous year relevant to assessment year 1985-86. In explaining the sources the assessee had stated that Rs. 6. 00 lakhs were received by her from Laxmi Chand Bagaji. The amount which was received in 1983 was shown in the balance sheet as a liability. Assessee s stand was that Tribunal wrongly proceeded by treating the balance sheet as books of accounts, though the fact remained that the assessee did not maintain any books of accounts. The other mistake that was committed by the Tribunal, according to the assessee that the joint account in which deposit of Rs. 6. 00 lakhs was made in 1983 was both of the assessee and her husband. It is normal for any husband and wife to maintain their joint account. In these circumstances, assessee had stated that it was credited to her bank account in 1983. The submission that since the credit appeared in the books of the bank in 1983, and it was also established that the amount was received in 1983, merely for the reason that the amount was shown in the Balance Sheet relating to the assessment year in question, a different conclusion was not available to be taken and the Tribunal was in error in treating as if the credit appeared in the books in the year under question. Further it was stated that the assessee had not been granted opportunity in regard to manner of utilisation of the amount in the construction. Tribunal on consideration of the stand of the assessee and its finding recorded in the original order in appeal came to the conclusion that a case for rectification under Section 254 (2) was not made out.

( 3 ) LEARNED counsel for the petitioner submitted that the following nine questions which have been proposed clearly show that questions of law are involved and they arise out of the order of the Tribunal passed in respect of the miscellaneous application:-

"1. Whether on the facts and in the circumstances of the case the Hon ble Income-tax Appellate tribunal was justified and correct in law in refusing to rectify its order even when it was specifically pointed out by the assessee that the issue pertaining to source of construction of the property was never in dispute and the dispute before it was limited to the genuineness of the credits? 2. Whether on the facts and in the circumstances of the case, was the income-tax Appellate Tribunal justified and correct in law in not deleting an addition sustained by it of Rs. 6. 00 lakhs received by the assessee as a loan from M/s Laxmi Chand Bhagaji, Bombay, on the ground there was no mistake apparent on record in its order, disregarding that the said credit appeared in the joint bank account of the assessee with her husband on 14. 3. 1983 and did not pertain to the assessment year 1985-86? 3. Whether on the facts and in the circumstances of the case the Hon ble Income-tax Appellate Tribunal was justified in law in refusing to rectify order passed in appeal? 4. Whether on the facts and in the circumstances of the case the Tribunal misdirected itself in law in its conclusions by ignoring the relevant material and considerations brought out by the assessee in the applicati





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