Unexplained cash credits require lender-specific proof; supported loans, business expenditure and consequential interest disallowances were deleted.
Section 68 requires credible lender-specific evidence of identity, financial capacity and transaction genuineness. Confirmations, tax particulars, audited financial statements, ledger accounts, banking records, repayments and interest supported the unsecured loans; general investigation information without adverse lender-specific material or effective confrontation could not displace that evidence, so the cash-credit addition was deleted. Business expenditure could not be disallowed on an ad hoc basis merely because receipts were absent, and the consequential interest disallowance also failed. The recomputed current-year business loss was eligible for adjustment against capital gains under the inter-head set-off provisions.
Issues: (i) Whether unsecured loans supported by confirmations, tax particulars, audited financial statements, ledger accounts and banking records could be treated as unexplained cash credits under section 68; (ii) Whether an ad hoc disallowance of 30% of business expenditure was sustainable merely because no business receipts were shown during the year; (iii) Whether interest on the impugned borrowings was disallowable solely because the underlying loans had been treated as non-genuine; (iv) Whether the current-year business loss could be set off against income assessed under the head "Capital Gains".
Issue (i): Whether unsecured loans supported by confirmations, tax particulars, audited financial statements, ledger accounts and banking records could be treated as unexplained cash credits under section 68.
Analysis: Section 68 requires credible evidence of the creditor's identity, financial capacity and the genuineness of the particular transaction. The lender-wise material established the identified creditors, their audited financial position and the banking trail of the loans, with subsequent repayments and interest also supporting the transactions. General Investigation Wing information could warrant deeper enquiry but, absent lender-specific adverse findings, a contrary fund trail, repudiation by creditors, or evidence disproving the documents, it could not displace the primary evidence. Material proposed to be relied upon against the assessee also required effective confrontation.
Conclusion: The addition of unsecured loans as unexplained cash credits under section 68 was unsustainable and was deleted, in favour of the assessee.
Issue (ii): Whether an ad hoc disallowance of 30% of business expenditure was sustainable merely because no business receipts were shown during the year.
Analysis: Absence of receipts in a particular year does not by itself establish closure or abandonment of business. Expenditure incurred to maintain a continuing business establishment may retain its business character during commercial inactivity. The assessment identified no particular expense as fictitious, personal, inflated or unrelated to business, rejected no books, vouchers or ledger entries, and disclosed no rational basis for selecting 30% of the aggregate expenditure.
Conclusion: The estimated disallowance of business expenditure was arbitrary and was deleted, in favour of the assessee.
Issue (iii): Whether interest on the impugned borrowings was disallowable solely because the underlying loans had been treated as non-genuine.
Analysis: The interest disallowance rested exclusively on the earlier treatment of the underlying loans as non-genuine. There was no independent finding that the interest was not paid, was excessive or fictitious, or that the borrowings were used for non-business purposes. Deletion of the section 68 addition removed the sole foundation of the interest disallowance.
Conclusion: The disallowance of interest on the borrowings was deleted, in favour of the assessee.
Issue (iv): Whether the current-year business loss could be set off against income assessed under the head "Capital Gains".
Analysis: The gain on sale of the property was accepted as assessable under the head "Capital Gains". The loss claimed was a current-year business loss, rather than a brought-forward loss governed by the separate regime under section 72. Following recomputation after deletion of the business-expense and interest disallowances, the correct current-year business loss was required to be determined and considered for inter-head adjustment under section 71(2).
Conclusion: The eligible current-year business loss was directed to be set off against capital gains in accordance with section 71(2), in favour of the assessee.
Final Conclusion: The reassessment computations require revision by excluding the deleted cash-credit addition and consequential interest and business-expenditure disallowances, and by granting the statutory adjustment of the recomputed current-year business loss against capital gains.