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Excessive delay in repeated tax litigation drew Supreme Court criticism for burdening judicial process with a frivolous petition.
The Supreme Court criticised the Department for filing a special leave petition with an excessive delay after an earlier SLP challenging the same impugned order had already been dismissed for delay. The petition was characterised as frivolous and as unnecessarily burdening the Court. The Court urged the Department to exercise greater vigilance and avoid repeatedly filing matters with exorbitant delay. Although the material lists substantive tax issues concerning goodwill depreciation, CSR expenditure, related-unit valuation, captive power, steam transfers, additional claims and consistency, no determination of those issues is set out.
Depreciation on goodwill as an intangible asset - deduction under section 37(1) for Corporate Social Responsibility contributions as business expenditure - computation of market value for supplies between group/related units for deduction u/s 80IA(8) - arm's length / open market principle - valuation of captive power supplies by reference to distribution-company consumer tariff - eligibility of profits from transfer of steam as 'power' for deduction under section 80IA(4) - entertainment of additional or revised claims before appellate authorities without revision of return - application of precedent and principle of consistency in tax appeals Delay in filling SLP with 739 days - HELD THAT:- We fail to understand as to how the petitioner/Department once having “noted” that order [2024 (1) TMI 1495 - GUJARAT HIGH COURT] was assailed before this Court in SLP [2025 (9) TMI 727 - SC ORDER] and dismissed by this Court on contd.. the ground of 463 days delay, subsequently, in February, 2026, this special leave petition has been filed with 739 days delay against the very same impugned order. This is an instance of unnecessarily burdening this Court with a frivolous special leave petition. We hope that the Department would take note of the aforesaid observations and be more vigilant in filing cases with exorbitant delay before this Court and repeatedly not file such cases. .