The court emphasized the necessity of allowing the assessee to explain the delay in filing the appeal and mandated that the NFAC decide the appeal on its merits.

ORDER

PER SUDHANSHU SRIVASTAVA, J.M.:

This appeal has been preferred by the assessee against order dated 28.11.2024, passed by the National Faceless appeal Centre, Delhi (NFAC) for Assessment Year 2017-18.

2. The brief facts of the case are that the assessee filed his return of income for the year under consideration on 31.03.2018, declaring a total income of Rs.6,00,000/-. The case of the assessee was selected for scrutiny under CASS on the basis of cash deposits during the demonetization period. The Income Tax Department was in possession of information that the assessee had made cash deposits to the tune of Rs.8,00,000/- in his Bank Account No.9160200270001 maintained with Axis Bank during the demonetization period and further that another amount of Rs.36,90,000/- was deposited by M/s Samadhan India Pvt. Ltd. and Rs.55,85,000/- was deposited by M/s Abhisht Developers & Builders Pvt. Ltd. in Oriental Bank of Commerce against the assessee’s PAN AFGPD1753C. Since there was no compliance from the side of the assessee in response to the statutory notices issued by the Assessing Officer (AO), the AO issued notice under section 133(6) of the Income Tax Act, 1961 (hereinafter called “the Act’) to Axis Bank, requiring them to furnish the bank statements related to the assessee for the demonetization period, which duly submitted the Bank Statement detailing the cash deposits to the tune of Rs.8,00,000/- made by the assessee during the demonetization period.

2.1 The AO also issued notice under section 133(6) of the Act to the Oriental Bank of Commerce, requiring them to furnish the details of Bank transactions made against PAN AFGPD1753C. In response, it was stated by the Bank that the assessee (Shri Manoj Dwivedi) having PAN AFGPD1753C is the authorized signatory and Director of following Bank Accounts:

1. 00504011000160 – M/s Abhisht Developers & Builders Pvt. Ltd.

2. 00504011000252 - M/s Samadhan India Pvt. Ltd.

3. 00501131001176 - M/s Shri Colonizers & Developers Pvt. Ltd.

2.2 The AO, thereafter, issued notices under section 133(6) of the Act to M/s Samadhan India Pvt. Ltd. and M/s Abhisht Developers & Builders Pvt. Ltd., requiring them to explain in which capacity Shri Manoj Dwivedi was related to their Companies and confirm whether the aforesaid amounts have been taxed in their Income Tax Returns for assessment year 2017-18. However, there was no response from the side of these Companies. The AO also issued notice under section 142(1) of the Act to the assessee providing final opportunity to file his submissions, stating therein that in case of failure on the part of the assessee to make his submissions, the assessment will be completed under section 144 of the Act. Since there was still no compliance from the side of the assessee, the AO completed the assessment under section 144 of the Act by computing the income of the assessee as under:

Income as per return : Rs.6,00,000/-

Addition u/s.69A of the Act : Rs.8,00,000/-

Addition u/s. 69A of the Act : Rs.92,75,000/-

Total income : Rs.1,06,75,000/-

2.3 The AO also initiated penalty proceedings under section 271AAC of the Act, separately.

3. Aggrieved, the Assessee preferred an appeal before the Ld. First Appellate Authority. The appeal was migrated to the NFAC, which dismissed the appeal of the assessee for the reason of there being a delay of 198 days in filing of the appeal before the Ld. First Appellate Authority.

4. Now, the assessee has approached this Tribunal challenging the dismissal of its appeal by the NFAC by raising the following grounds of appeal:

1. That the Income Returned should have been accepted.

2. That the Learned Lower Court erred in not deciding appeal on merit.

3. That in the facts and legal aspects of the case Learned Low