<h1>Compounding of offences: revised guidelines set eligibility, exclusions, competent authority, fees and procedural timelines for direct tax cases.</h1> Revised Guidelines govern discretionary compounding of offences under the Income-tax Act, 1961, effective 17 June 2019. They classify Chapter XXII offences into Category A and B, prescribe strict eligibility conditions (prescribed affidavit, prior payment of tax/interest/penalty, undertaking to pay compounding charges and withdraw related appeals), set exclusions (repeat offences, convictions, involvement in organised evasion or matters under investigation by specified agencies, offences linked to undisclosed foreign assets or designated statutes), and establish procedural mechanisms: competent authorities, Committee approvals for high-value cases, reporting by assessing officers, timelines for intimation and payment, and computation of compounding charges including fee, prosecution and litigation expenses.