Commissioner of Income Tax vs Modi Industrial Corporation

Satish Kumar Mittal, J.—The revenue has filed this "appeal u/s 260A of the Income Tax Act, 1961 (hereinafter referred to as the Act), against the order dated 26-3-2009, passed by the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, Chandigarh Bench B, Chandigarh (hereinafter referred to as the Tribunal) in ITA No. 1081/Chd/2008, pertaining to the assessment year 2000-01.

In the present case, the assessee is running a rice sheller. For the assessment year 2000-01, the assessee filed the income tax return on 25-12-2000, declaring his income as Rs. 31,49,444. Vide order dated 26-2-2003, the assessing officer completed the assessment u/s 143(3) of the Act at net taxable income of Rs. 31,53,943. Subsequently, vide order dated 30-3-2005, the CIT-III, Ludhiana, cancelled the assessment, while exercising the powers u/s 263 of the Act, with a direction to the assessing officer to reframe the assessment after affording due and reasonable opportunity of being heard to the assessee. Thereupon, vide order dated 2-3-2006, the fresh assessment was completed at net taxable income of Rs. 92,76,557, after making addition of Rs. 57,74,857 on account of processing of unaccounted rice bran and Rs. 3,52,260 on account of undervaluation of closing stock of the rice bran. On second appeal by the assessee, the Tribunal vide its order dated 30-3-2007 directed to apply the gross profit rate of 10 per cent and consequently, the income of the assessee was assessed at Rs. 51,13,637. It is specifically mentioned here that the Tribunal had adopted the flat rate of 10 per cent for working out the unaccounted profits. Thus, the assessment was made on estimate basis. In the meanwhile, the penalty proceedings were initiated by the assessing officer against the assessee u/s 271(1)(c) of the Act for furnishing inaccurate particulars of income and ultimately, vide order dated 27-3-2008, penalty of Rs. 11,31,723 @ 150 per cent was imposed. In the second appeal by the assessee, the Tribunal has set aside the said order of penalty, while observing as under:

...the Tribunal adopted the flat rate of 10 per cent for working out the unaccounted profits. The assessee surrendered Rs. 50 lakhs to cover up suppressed transactions. Now question arises, whether further penalty @ 150 per cent is justified. The obvious reply is no because the assessee may not be put to double jeopardy. In this case, it can be seen that though the Tribunal has also sustained certain addition, but the addition sustained is not on the basis adopted by the assessing officer in the assessment order. For this reason also, there is no justification in levy of penalty u/s 271(1)(c) of the Act as held by the Hon''ble Madhya Pradesh High Court in ADDL. COMMISSIONER OF Income Tax, BHOPAL Vs. NIHALCHAND BADRILAL., and Calcutta High Court in the case of Commissioner of Income Tax Vs. Ananda Bazar Patrika P. Ltd., ). Even otherwise, when the assessment is made on estimate basis, some error of judgment cannot be ruled out, therefore, penalty should not be imposed. For this proposition, we are fortified by the decision from the Hon''ble Jurisdictional High Court in the cases of Harigopal Singh Vs. Commissioner of Income Tax, , Commissioner of Income Tax Vs. Ravail Singh and Co., , Commissioner of Income Tax Vs. Dhillon Rice Mills, , Commissioner of Income Tax Vs. Metal Products of India, and Vishwakarma Industries Vs. Commissioner of Income Tax, . Reliance can also be placed upon the decision of the Tribunal in (2005) 98 TTJ 106 . Even while framing the original assessment, the assessee declared total income of Rs. 31,49,444 which was assessed at Rs. 31,53,943 and originally there is no finding that the assessee either concealed its income or furnished inaccurate particulars of income. For imposing penalty u/s 271(1)(c), a definite finding about concealment is necessary. However, in the present appeal the addition is based on estimation. As we have discussed earlier, when there is estimation, there is a possibility of human error. Therefore, at least penalty should not be imposed because it may be a good ground for quantum addition but may not be for imposition of penalty as penalty proceedings and quantum proceedings are altogether different.

Against the said order, the instant appeal has been filed by the Revenue, while raising the following substantial questions of law:

(i) Whether on the facts and in the circumstances of the case, the Tribunal is justified in deleting the penalty imposed u/s 271(1)(c) amounting to Rs. 11,31,723 by holding that the additions are based on the estimation when the same is on the basis of the concrete evidence in the form of documents found during the course of survey operation?

(ii) Whether on the facts and in the circumstances of the case, the Tribunal is justified in holding that there is a case of double jeopardy in respect of penalty imposed u/s 271(1)(c) of the Act, considering the fact that the payment of tax and penalty are under the different provisions of the Act?

(iii) Whether on the facts and in the circumstances of the case, the Tribunal is justified in holding that there was no definite findings of concealment considering the fact that additions made by the assessing officer on account of unaccounted investments were confirmed by appellate authorities and penalty proceedings u/s 271(1)(c) of the Act were initiated by the assessing officer for furnishing the inaccurate particulars of income during the course of assessment proceedings?

Learned Counsel for the appellant-revenue argued that in the instant case, the addition was made on the basis of estimate, but it was made on complete evidence based on documents found during the course of survey operation. He further submitted that in the assessment order, a definite finding with regard to concealment of income was recorded by the assessing officer, therefore, the Tribunal is not justified in deleting the penalty, which was rightly imposed by the assessing officer.

After hearing learned Counsel for the appellant-revenue and going through the impugned order, we are of the opinion that the learned Tribunal has recorded a finding of fact with regard to the addition of income being made on the basis of estimate, which in our opinion does not require any interference. A perusal of the order dated 30-3-2007, passed by the Tribunal in the assessment proceedings which has been quoted in extenso in the impugned order, makes it clear that addition of the income was made only on the basis of estimate. Therefore, we do not find that the learned Tribunal has recorded a wrong finding in this regard. As far as the finding with regard to concealment of income is concerned, it is clear that in the original assessment order, there was no finding that the assessee has concealed its income and furnished inaccurate particulars of income, but subsequently after the cancellation of the assessment, the assessing officer has proceeded on the basis that the assessee, while inflating the electricity charges and undervaluing the closing stock of rice bran, has suppressed the income. Therefore, the additions on account of processing of unaccounted rice bran and undervaluation of closing stock of rice bran were made and income was assessed on the estimate base. Therefore, in our opinion, the Tribunal is right while coming to the conclusion that when the assessment is made on estimate basis, the penalty should not be imposed. In this regard, reference can be made to a decision of this Court in Harigopal Singh Vs. Commissioner of Income Tax, .

In view of the above, we do not find any merit in the instant appeal and in our opinion no substantial question of law arises from the order of the Tribunal.

Dismissed.