Denial of specific request for personal hearing - The High Court...

Denial of specific request for personal hearing - The High Court noted that the petitioner had indeed expressed a legitimate difficulty in availing the opportunity for a personal hearing through video conference due to technical issues with the web portal. Referring to a previous judgment, the Court emphasized that the mere failure to click on the request button should not preclude the petitioner from being granted a personal hearing, especially when the petitioner had explicitly requested it in written submissions. - Consequently, the Court set aside the impugned assessment order and directed that the assessment be framed after affording the petitioner a reasonable opportunity for a personal hearing through video conference within a specified timeframe.