Section 270A requires the Assessing Officer to specify whether...

Section 270A requires the Assessing Officer to specify whether penalty is for under-reporting or misreporting, because each limb carries distinct consequences and different rates. Here, the notice alleged under-reporting, but the penalty was imposed at the higher misreporting rate without identifying the applicable clause under sub-section (9) or recording a clear finding of misreporting. As the relevant particulars had already been disclosed in the return, the Tribunal found no misreporting or under-reporting on the facts. The omission to specify the precise charge was fatal, and the penalty proceedings were vitiated and deleted.

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