Unauthorised supervisory approval in a section 143(3) assessment...

Unauthorised supervisory approval in a section 143(3) assessment following survey proceedings is not supported by statute, as section 133A does not require prior approval from a superior authority. The notes state that an Assessing Officer who consults or seeks such approval abdicates independent quasi-judicial discretion, vitiating the assessment. Applying this principle, the assessment was quashed and the remaining grounds were treated as academic.