Statutory interest on admitted refund cannot be denied for missing form when entitlement has already attained finality.

Statutory interest on an admitted refund could not be denied merely because the prescribed form was not filed, where the refund had attained finality and the governing rules supported the entitlement. The Madras HC rejected objections based on alleged suppression, address-change violations, pending matters, and delay, finding them unsupported or insufficient to defeat the interest claim. It upheld the assessee's right to interest on the refunded amount, set aside the rejection of the claim, and directed the department to quantify and pay the interest within the stipulated time.

---

---

Issues: Whether the assessee was entitled to interest on the refunded amount despite not having filed the prescribed statutory form and despite the department's objections based on alleged suppression, pending appeals, and delay attributable to the assessee.

Analysis: The refund had arisen from matters that had attained finality, and the allegations of suppression were found to be unsupported by the record. The objection that the claim was not made in the prescribed statutory form was rejected, as the entitlement to interest was held to be maintainable on the facts and in light of the earlier directions requiring payment of refund with statutory interest. The department's reliance on alleged address-change violations and pending matters did not displace the assessee's entitlement to interest on the admitted refund.

Conclusion: The assessee was held entitled to interest on the refund, and the rejection of the interest claim was set aside.

Final Conclusion: The refund claim carried a right to statutory interest, and the department was directed to quantify and pay the interest within the stipulated time.

Ratio Decidendi: A valid claim for statutory interest on an admitted refund cannot be defeated merely because the prescribed form was not filed, where the entitlement otherwise flows from the finality of the refund and the governing rules.

---