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of <h1>Court stays criminal proceedings under Section 276-CC of Income Tax Act due to jurisdictional error and lack of mens rea</h1> <h3>Vijay Bharti Madhok Versus Union of India</h3> The court stayed all proceedings against the applicant in a criminal case under Section 276-CC of the Income Tax Act, 1961, following arguments concerning ... Criminal proceedings - Failure to furnish returns of income - Held that:- The case of the applicant is not with regard to evasion of tax, but it merely relates to the jurisdictional error in filing the returns and there are no proceedings pending against the Applicant by Income Tax Department either for evasion of tax or any other default as prescribed in the Income Tax Act, 1961, other than the instant proceedings under challenge under Section 276 CC of Income Tax Act, 1961 - The order passed by the court concerned is non-speaking order and has been passed without application of mind - The issue was restored for fresh adjudication. Issues:Quashing of criminal proceedings under Section 482 CrPC related to Income Tax Act, 1961; Allegation of jurisdictional error in filing income tax returns; Mens rea in tax evasion; Validity of impugned summoning order under Section 276-CC of Income Tax Act, 1961.Analysis:The judgment pertains to an application filed under Section 482 CrPC seeking to quash criminal proceedings in Crl. Case No. 2011 of 2013 under Section 276-CC of the Income Tax Act, 1961, along with the summoning order issued by the Special CJM, Varanasi. The applicant's counsel argued that there was no accusation of income tax evasion against the applicant. The contention was that the applicant, as a Director of a company in Kolkata, filed income tax returns with the authorities in Kolkata after relocating from Varanasi. It was emphasized that the applicant submitted returns in good faith, believing it to be correct jurisdictionally. The applicant maintained that all assessments, demands, and notices were handled through Kolkata, demonstrating no intention to evade tax.The applicant's defense centered on the absence of any tax evasion motive, attributing the issue to a jurisdictional error rather than intentional non-compliance. The counsel highlighted that the purpose of the Income Tax Act was to prevent tax evasion without harassing genuine taxpayers over technicalities. It was argued that the impugned order lacked reasoning and was passed without due diligence. In response, the respondent's counsel cited legal precedents to support the institution of criminal proceedings, alleging willful non-compliance by the applicant in filing tax returns within the stipulated time frame, leading to an offense under Section 276CC of the Income Tax Act, 1961.After hearing both parties, the court deemed the matter requiring further examination. A timeline was set for the submission of counter and rejoinder affidavits. Until further court orders, all proceedings against the applicant in the mentioned case were stayed. The judgment reflects a nuanced analysis of the jurisdictional error, mens rea in tax evasion allegations, and the legal validity of the summoning order under Section 276-CC of the Income Tax Act, 1961. The court's decision to stay proceedings indicates a cautious approach pending additional legal scrutiny and documentation exchange between the parties.
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