The court emphasized that re-opening of assessment under Section 34 requires definite information indicating that income has escaped assessment, and disagreed with re-opening based on a mere change of opinion on a question of law.

Alfred Henry Lionel Leach, C.J.

1. The assessees are the executors of the will of one M. Seshachalam Naidu, who died in the year 1936. By his will he directed that his executors should pay to his widow monthly the sum of Rs. 50 for her own use and a further sum of Rs. 1,000 each month for the maintenance of herself and her children. In accordance with these directions, the executors paid to the widow Rs. 12,156 in the year of account. The Income Tax Officer assessed the executors on the footing that the estate belonged to a joint Hindu family, but on appeal the Appellate, Assistant Commissioner said that the status was that of an " Association of Individuals," and directed the Income Tax Officer to make the assessment on this basis. The Income Tax Officer did so and again allowed the deduction of the Rs. 12,156.. In the following year, another Income Tax Officer decided that his predecessor was wrong in allowing the deduction of Rs. 12,156 and decided to re-open the assessment under Section 34 of the Indian Income Tax Act. Consequently he issued a notice to the assessee and in due course levied the tax on this amount. The assessee appealed to the Appellate Assistant Commissioner who agreed with the Income Tax Officer. On a further appeal, the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal held that the

2. Income Tax Officer had power to re-open the assessment under Section 34 and that the tax was chargeable on the Rs. 12,156. At the instance of the assessee, the Tribunal has, under Section 66(1) of the Act, referred to this Court, the following-questions:

(1) Whether in the circumstances of the case, the assessment proceedings were validly initiated under Section 34; and

(2) Whether in the circumstances of the case the sum of Rs. 12,156 was rightly included in the assessment.

Section 34 was substantially amended in 1939. The relevant portion of the old section read as follows:

If for any reason income, profits or gains chargeable to Income Tax has escaped assessment in any year, or has been assessed at too low a rate, the Income Tax Officer may, at any time within one year of the end of that year, serve on the person liable to pay tax on such income, profits or gains, or, in the case of a company, on the principal officer thereof, a notice containing all or any of the requirements which may be included in a notice under Sub-section (2) of Section 22, and may proceed to assess or re-assess such income, profits or gains, and the provisions of this Act shall, so far as may be, apply accordingly as if the notice were a notice issued under that sub-section.

The new section says:

If in consequence of definite information which has come into his possession, the Income Tax Officer discovers that income, profits or gains chrgeable to ineome-tax have escaped assessment in any year, or have been under-assessed, or have been asseessed at too low a rate, or have been the subject of excessive relief under this Act, the Income Tax Officer may, in any case in which he has reasor to believe that the assessee has concealed the particulars of his income or deliberately furnished inacccurate particulars thereof, at any time within eight years, and in any other case at any time within four years, of the end of that year serve on the person liable to tax on such income, profits or gains, or, in the case of a company, on the principal officer thereof, a notice containing all or any of the requirements which may be included in a notice under Sub-section 2 of Section 22 and may proceed to assess or re-assess such income, profits or gains, and the provisions of this Act shall, so" far as may be, apply accordingly as if the notice were a notice issued under that sub-section.

By reason of the amendment of the section, the Income Tax Officer is not entitled, to re-open the assessment merely because he changes his mind on a question of law. Before he can act under the section, he must receive definite information from which it is apparent that income in the previous year ha