The HC upheld the validity of the reopening of assessment under...

The HC upheld the validity of the reopening of assessment under Section 147, holding that the notice issued under Section 148 was not barred by limitation. The Court clarified that, pursuant to Section 149's scheme, the period during which the assessee was given extended time via the show-cause notice under Section 148A(b), as well as any stay of proceedings under Section 148, must be excluded from the limitation period. Consequently, the notice issued on 25.09.2024, though beyond three years from the end of the AY 2020-21, was within the extended limitation period after excluding the interval from 01.04.2021 to 20.03.2022. The sanction granted by the Principal Commissioner under Section 151(i) was held lawful. Reliance on extant precedents affirmed that limitation provisions apply equally to the Department, thereby validating the reopening and dismissing the assessee's challenge.

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